• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.347-355
• /
• 2021

Ripe rot caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea is one of the serious diseases of postharvest kiwifruit. In order to control ripe rot on Actinidia chinensis cultivar 'Zesy002', several commercial agrofungicides were selected by an antifungal test on an artificial medium. Furthermore, disease suppression by the selected fungicides was evaluated on the kiwifruit by inoculation with a conidial suspension of B. dothidea. On the artificial media containing boscalid + fludioxonil was shown to be the most effective antifungal activity. However, in the bio-test pyraclostrobin + boscalid and iminoctadinetris were the most effective agrochemicals on the fruit. On the other hand, the infection structures of B. dothidea on kiwifruit treated with pyraclostrobin + boscalid were observed with a fluorescent microscope. Most of the fungal conidia had not germinated on the kiwifruit treated with the agrochemicals whereas on the untreated fruit the fungal conidia had mostly germinated. Electron microscopy of the fine structures showed morphological changes to the conidia and branch of hyphae on the kiwifruit pre-treated with pyraclostrobin + boscalid, indicating its suppression effect on fungal growth. Based on this observation, it is suggested that ripe rot by B. dothidea may be suppressed through the inhibition of conidial germination on the kiwifruit treated with the agrochemicals.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.130-136
• /
• 2023

Citrus melanoses caused by Diaporthe citri, has been one of the serious diseases in many citrus orchards of Jeju Island. To protect melanose in citrus farms, a fast and exact diagnosis method is necessary. In this study, diseased leaves and dieback twigs were collected from a total of 49 farms within March to April in 2022. A total of 465 fungal isolates were obtained from a total of 358 isolated plant samples. Among these fungal isolates, 40 representatives of D. citri isolates which were isolated from 22 twigs and 18 leaves on 23 farms were found based on cultural characteristics on potato dextrose agar and conidial morphology. Additionally, the molecular assay was carried out and compared with those by morphological diagnosis. All isolates were identified as D. citri by analyzing the sequences at the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region using primers of ITS1/ITS4 or at β-tubulin using primer Btdcitri-F/R. Therefore, based on the present study, where the results of morphological identification of conidial type were consistent with DNA sequence analysis of certain gene, choosing a suitable method for a fast diagnosis of citrus melanose was suggested.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.118-124
• /
• 2008

Skin sooty dapple disease, a fungal disease that lowers Asian pear fruit quality, has emerged recently in Korea but has not yet been thoroughly characterized. This disease affects the surface of fruit, leaves, and young shoots of the Asian pear, typically appearing as a dark or pale black dapple on the fruit surface. The disease initiates on the fruit with small circular lesions that become bigger, eventually spreading to form large circular or indefinite lesions. Sparse dark or flourishing white-greyish aerial mycelia and appearance of a dark or pale black dapple on the fruit surface are typical signs of this disease. The disease was severe during cold storage of the Niitaka and Chuhwangbae varieties, but more limited on the Gamcheonbae and Hwangkeumbae varieties. To identify causal pathogens, 123 fungal isolates were obtained from lesions. The fungi that caused typical skin sooty dapple disease symptoms in our bioassay were identified. Based on their morphological characteristics, 74% of the isolates were Cladosporium sp. and 5-7 % of the isolates were Leptosphaerulina sp., Tripospermum sp., or Tilletiopsis sp. None of the isolates caused severe soft rot by injection to a wound plug, but some of the Cladosporium sp. isolates caused mild maceration. Therefore this microbiol complex cannot account for the soft rot also observed in stored fruits. The high frequency of isolation of Cladosporium sp. from disease tissues and bioassay on pear fruit surface suggest that Cladosporium sp. could be a major pathogen in the microbial complex associated with skin sooty dapple disease of the Asian pear in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.435-441
• /
• 2009

In the present study, we analyzed the defensin protein deduced from Korean radish (Raphanus sativus L.) seeds.To express the genes in E. coli, we constructed a recombinant expression vector with a defensin gene, named rKRs-AFP gene isolated from Korean radish seeds. Over expressed rKRs-AFP proteins was separated by SDS-PAGE to determine the purity, and protein concentration was determined by the Bradford method. Antifungal activity was assessed by disk assay method against the tested fungi. As a result, when 500 mL of cell culture were disrupted by sonicator, 32.5 mg total proteins were obtained. The purified protein showed a single band on SDS-PAGE with estimated molecular weight about 6 KDa, consistent with the molecular mass calculated from the deduced amino acid sequence. The purified rKRs-AFP protein showed remarkable antifungal activities against several fungi including Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea causing the gray mold disease, and Candida albicans. In field tests using the purified rKRs-AFP protein, the protein showed the reducing activity of disease spot and the mitigating effect of spreading of disease like agrichemicals. The immuno-assay of rKRs-AFP protein showed that the purified protein entirely accumulated at B. cinerea cytoplasm through the hyphal septa shown by fluorescence imaging. There was no fluorescence inside the cell, when the hypha was incubated without the protein. These all results indicate that the recombinant rKRs-AFP proteins can be utilized as a potential antifungal drug to control harmful plant fungal pathogens.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.491-495
• /
• 1998

A fungal disease of the cultivated mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum, caused by Xylogone sphaerospora was epidemic throughout all cultivation areas in Korea which caused a lot of yield losses in the mushroom production. For controlling the disease, the screening of effective fungicides against the pathogenic fungus were conducted. Thirty seven commercially available fungicides were tested for their inhibitory activities on potato dextrose agar media supplemented with these fungicides at various concentrations. Twenty one fungicides significantly inhibited mycelial growth of the pathogen, Xylogone sphaerospora, but 16 fungicides had no inhibitory effect. Among these 21 fungicides, 17 fungicides also inhibited mycelial growth of Ganoderma lucidum as well, but imazalil, procymidone, triforine, and vinclozolin had no inhibitory effects. However, vinclozolin showed no inhibitory effect on mycelial growth of the mushroom even at the concentration of 50 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml vinclozolin solution for 2 hours, and then the pathogen was inoculated. After two month-cultivation of the mushroom, over 90% of logs treated with vinclozolin without pathogen inoculation produced fruiting bodies. However, fruiting bodies were not produced form the logs inoculated with the pathogen, but not treated with vinclozolin. Fifty seven percent of logs. which were pre-treated with vinclozolin and then inoculated with the pathogen produced fruiting bodies. Based on the results, vinclozolin is effective for the control of yellow disease of the Ganoderma lucidum caused by Xylogone sphaerospora.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.296-303
• /
• 2022

The cucurbit powdery mildew (CPM) caused by different fungal species is a major concern for cucurbit crops around the world. In Argentina CPM constitutes the most common and damaging disease for cucurbits, especially for squash crops (Cucurbita moschata). The present study displays initial insights into the knowledge of the disease in western Argentina, including the determination of the prevalent species causing CPM, as well as the evaluation of the resistance of squash cultivars and breeding lines. Fungal colonies were isolated from samples collected in Mendoza province, Argentina. A field trial was also performed to assess the resistance of five squash accessions, including commercial cultivars and breeding lines. The severity of CPM was analyzed and epidemiological models were built based on empirical data. The morphological determinations and analysis with specific molecular markers confirmed Podosphaera xanthi as the prevalent causal agent of CPM in Mendoza. The results od the field trial showed differences in the resistance trait among the squash accessions. The advanced breeding line BL717/1 showed promising results as source of CPM resistance for the future development of open pollinated resistant cultivars, a crucial tool for an integrative control of the disease.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.161-170
• /
• 2009

Cryptococcus neoformans is a basidiomycete human fungal pathogen that causes meningoencephalitis in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals. The ability to sense and respond to diverse extracellular signals is essential for the pathogen to infect and cause disease in the host. Four major stress-activated signaling (SAS) pathways have been characterized in C. neoformans, including the HOG (high osmolarity glycerol response), PKC/Mpk1 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase), calcium-dependent calcineurin, and RAS signaling pathways. The HOG pathway in C. neoformans not only controls responses to diverse environmental stresses, including osmotic shock, UV irradiation, oxidative stress, heavy metal stress, antifungal drugs, toxic metabolites, and high temperature, but also regulates ergosterol biosynthesis. The PKC(protein kinase C)/Mpk1 pathway in C. neoformans is involved in a variety of stress responses, including osmotic, oxidative, and nitrosative stresses and breaches of cell wall integrity. The $Ca^{2+}$/calmodulin- and Ras-signaling pathways also play critical roles in adaptation to certain environmental stresses, such as high temperature and sexual differentiation. Perturbation of the SAS pathways not only impairs the ability of C. neoformans to resist a variety of environmental stresses during host infection, but also affects production of virulence factors, such as capsule and melanin. A drug(s) capable of targeting signaling components of the SAS pathway will be effective for treatment of cryptococcosis.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.251-254
• /
• 2003

To select active bacterial strains to control plant diseases, 57 bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizosphere of the plants growing in various areas such as coast, middle and top of Halla Mountain in Jeju Island. Anti-fungal effect of isolated bactrial strains was tested in vitro by incubating in potato dextrose agar with isolates of four fungal plant pathogens Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. orbiculare, respectively. Thirty-four bacterial strains inhibited the hyphal growth of the plant pathogens, from which 17 strains inhibited one of the tested fungi, 10 strains two fungi, six strains three and a strain TRL2-3 inhibited all of the tested fungi. Some bacterial strains could inhibit weakly the hyphal growth of the plant pathogens, whereas some did very strongly with apparent inhibition zone between the plant pathogens and bacterial strains indicating the unfavorable condition for hyphal growth. Although there was no apparent inhibition zone, some bacterial strains showed a strong suppression of hyphal growth of plant pathogens. Especially, the inhibition by TRL2-3 was remarkably strong in all cases of the tested plant pathogens in this study that could be a possible candidate for biological control of various plant diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.223-229
• /
• 2003

A study of the anti-fungal properties in Korean radish was conducted using a variety of purification procedures such as Extrelut column, RP(Reverse Phase) Cl8 Column Chromatography, HPLC etc. to separate anti-fungal substances from Korean radish juices to test them against a common gray mold called Botrytis cenerea. Dialysis tube operation showed that these substances were presumably thermostable compounds with low molecular mass (less than 3.5 kDa). Differences of anti-fungal activities depending upon types of radishes used did not show any noticeable variation. The antifungals were presumably composed of more than 5 compounds. Among these, the most anti-fungal fraction was analyzed by HPLC in which one peak was obtained. Disease-affected plants were inoculated with 10mg of Extrelut fraction and results showed similar anti-fungal activity to pesticides suggesting possible usage of these substances as environmentally friendly antibiotics.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.275-289
• /
• 2023

Fungal isolates from infected Chinese quince trees were found to cause black rot in Yeongcheon, Gyeongsangbuk Province, Korea. The quince leaves withered and turned reddish-brown and fruits underwent black mummification. To elucidate the cause of these symptoms, the pathogen was isolated from infected leaf and fruit tissues on potato dextrose agar and Levan media. Several fungal colonies forming a fluffy white or dark gray mycelium and two types of fungi forming an aerial white mycelium, growing widely at the edges, were isolated. Microscopic observations, investigation of fungal growth characteristics on various media, and molecular identification using an internal transcribed spacer, β-tubulin, and translation elongation factor 1-α genes were performed. The fungal pathogens were identified as Diplodia parva and Diplodia crataegicola. Pathogenicity tests revealed that the pathogen-inoculated fruits exhibited a layered pattern, turning brown rotting; leaves showed circular brown necrotic lesions. The developed symptoms were similar to those observed in the field. Fungal pathogens were reisolated to fulfill Koch's postulates. Apples were inoculated with fungal pathogens to investigate the host range. Strong pathogenicity was evident in the fruits, with browning and rotting symptoms 3 days after inoculation. To determine pathogen control, a fungicidal sensitivity test was conducted using four registered fungicides. Thiophanate-methyl, propineb, and tebuconazole inhibited the mycelial growth of pathogens. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the isolation and identification of the fungal pathogens D. parva and D. crataegicola from infected fruits and leaves of Chinese quince, causing black rot disease in Korea.