• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.103-108
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• 2017

World wheat production is now under threat due to the wheat blast outbreak in Bangladesh in early March 2016. This is a new disease in this area, indicating the higher possibility of this pathogen spreading throughout the Asia, the world's largest wheat producing area. Occurrence of this disease caused ~3.5% reduction of the total wheat fields in Bangladesh. Its economic effect on the Bangladesh wheat market was little because wheat contributes to 3% of total cereal consumption, among which ~70% have been imported from other countries. However, as a long-term perspective, much greater losses will occur once this disease spreads to other major wheat producing areas of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan due to the existing favorable condition for the blast pathogen. The wheat blast pathogen belongs to the Magnaporthe oryzae species complex causing blast disease on multiple hosts in the Poaceae family. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Bangladesh outbreak strains and the Brazil outbreak strains were the same phylogenetic lineage, suggesting that they might be migrated from Brazil to Bangladesh during the seed import. To protect wheat production of Bangladesh and its neighbors, several measures including rigorous testing of seed health, use of chemicals, crop rotation, reinforcement of quarantine procedures, and increased field monitoring should be implemented. Development of blast resistant wheat varieties should be a long-term solution and combination of different methods with partial resistant lines may suppress this disease for some time.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.256-262
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• 2009

The potential of. nonpathogenic Fusarium oxysporum strain Avr5, either alone or in combination with chitosan and Bion, for inducing defense reaction in tomato plants inoculated with F. oxysporum f. sp lycopersici, was studied in vitro and glasshouse conditions. Application Bion at concentration of 5, 50, 100 and $500{\mu}g$/ml, and the highest concentration of chitosan reduced in vitro growth of the pathogen. Nonpathogenic F. oxysporum Avr5 reduced the disease severity of Fusarium wilt of tomato in split plants, significantly. Bion and chitosan applied on tomato seedlings at concentration $100{\mu}g$ a.i./plant; 15, 10 and 5 days before inoculation of pathogen. All treatments significantly reduced disease severity of Fusarium wilt of tomato relative to the infected control. The biggest disease reduction and increasing tomato growth belong to combination of nonpathogenic Fusarium and Bion. Growth rate of shoot and root markedly inhibited in tomato plants in response to tomato Fusarium wilt as compared with healthy control. These results suggest that reduction in disease incidence and promotion in growth parameters in tomato plants inoculated with nonpathogenic Fusarium and sprayed with elicitors could be related to the synergistic and cooperative effect between them, which lead to the induction and regulation of disease resistance. Combination of elicitors and non-pathogenic Fusarium synergistically inhibit the growth of pathogen and provide the first experimental support to the hypothesis that such synergy can contribute to enhanced fungal resistance in tomato. This chemical could provide a new approach for suppression of tomato Fusarium wilt, but its practical use needs further investigation.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.231-237
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• 2010

The heat-inactivated (at $121^{\circ}C$ for 20 min) conidial suspension of Bipolaris cactivora (HICS) was evaluated for the control of Bipolaris stem rot of cactus caused by B. cactivora. Severe rot symptoms were developed on the cactus stem discs inoculated with B. cactivora from 5 days after inoculation. However, only small brownish spots developed on the stem discs treated with HICS 2 days prior to the pathogen inoculation. HICS also reduced symptom development on cactus stem discs inoculated with other fungal pathogens such as Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Fusarium oxysporum, suggesting its disease-inhibitory efficacy may not be pathogen-specific. HICS significantly reduced severities of the stem rot disease on several cactus species including Hylocereus trigonus, Cereus peruvianus, Chamaecereus silvestrii and Gymnocalycium mianovichii, but not on Cereus tetragonus. Extensive wound periderms were formed in the stem tissues of inoculation and/or wounding sites on C. peruvianus treated with HICS alone or prior to the pathogen inoculation, but not on C. tetragonus, indicating the structural modifications may be related to the mechanism of disease suppression by HICS. HICS also reduced the disease development on the grafted cactus (H. trigonus stock and G. mianovichii scion) with the control efficacy nearly equivalent to the application of a commercial fungicide. All of these results suggest HICS can be used as an environmental-friendly agent for the control of the cactus stem disease.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.301-307
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• 2002

Graft transmission and cytopathological studies of a severe pear disease, pear black necrotic leafspot（PBNLS), were carried out to determine the causal agent of the disease. No evidence was found that a fungal or bacterial pathogen could be the causal agent of the disease. Attempts to transmit the agent by sap-inoculation to other plants including herbaceous hosts failed. How-ever, the pathogen was readily graft-transmitted from symptomatic diseased pears to healthy pears. Graft transmission of the pathogen was also demonstrated by using an indicator plant, PS-95, developed in the laboratory through various grafting methods. Ultrastructural study of the disease revealed the consistent presence of flexuous rod-shaped virus-like particles (VLP) in the symptomatic leaves of both Niitaka cultivar and indicator pear, PS-95. The particles, approximately 12 nm in diameter with undetermined length, occurred in the cytoplasm of mesophyll parenchyma cells. Cells with VLPs also contained fibril-containing vesicles, which are common in cells infected with plant viruses with ssRNA genome. The vesicles were formed at the tonoplast. Based on the symptomatology, the presence of fibril-containing vesicles, and graft-transmissibility, it is believed that the VLPs that occurred on symptomatic leaves of black necrotic leafspot of pear are viral in nature, possibly those of a capillovirus.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2019

Wheat blast occurred in Bangladesh for the first time in Asia in 2016. It is caused by a fungal pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum (MoT) pathotype. In this review, we focused on the current status of the wheat blast in regard to host, pathogen, and environment. Despite the many efforts to control the disease, it expanded to neighboring regions including India, the world's second largest wheat producer. However, the disease occurrence has definitely decreased in quantity, because of many farmers chose to grow alternate crops according to the government's directions. Bangladesh government planned to introduce blast resistant cultivars but knowledges about genetics of resistance is limited. The genome analyses of the pathogen population revealed that the isolates caused wheat blast in Bangladesh are genetically close to a South American lineage of Magnaporthe oryzae. Understanding the genomes of virulent strains would be important to find target resistance genes for wheat breeding. Although the drier winter weather in Bangladesh was not favorable for development of wheat blast before, recent global warming and climate change are posing an increasing risk of disease development. Bangladesh outbreak in 2016 was likely to be facilitated by an extraordinary warm and humid weather in the affected districts before the harvest season. Coordinated international collaboration and steady financial supports are needed to mitigate the fearsome wheat blast in South Asia before it becomes a catastrophe.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.530-537
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• 2019

Fuji, a major apple cultivar in Korea, is susceptible to white rot. Apple white rot disease appears on the stem and fruit; the development of which deteriorates fruit quality, resulting in decreases in farmers' income. Thus, it is necessary to characterize molecular markers related to apple white rot resistance. In this study, we screened for differentially expressed genes between uninfected apple fruits and those infected with Botryosphaeria dothidea, the fungal pathogen that causes white rot. Antimicrobial tests suggest that a gene expression involved in the synthesis of the substance inhibiting the growth of B. dothidea in apples was induced by pathogen infection. We identified seven transcripts induced by the infection. The seven transcripts were homologous to genes encoding a flavonoid glucosyltransferase, a metallothionein-like protein, a senescence-induced protein, a chitinase, a wound-induced protein, and proteins of unknown function. These genes have functions related to responses to environmental stresses, including pathogen infections. Our results can be useful for the development of molecular markers for early detection of the disease or for use in breeding white rotresistant cultivars.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.278-289
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• 2015

Indigenous strains of Trichoderma species isolated from rhizosphere soils of Tea gardens of Assam, north eastern state of India were assessed for in vitro antagonism against two important tea fungal pathogens namely Pestalotia theae and Fusarium solani. A potent antagonist against both tea pathogenic fungi, designated as SDRLIN1, was selected and identified as Trichoderma viride. The strain also showed substantial antifungal activity against five standard phytopathogenic fungi. Culture filtrate collected from stationary growth phase of the antagonist demonstrated a significantly higher degree of inhibitory activity against all the test fungi, demonstrating the presence of an optimal blend of extracellular antifungal metabolites. Moreover, quantitative enzyme assay of exponential and stationary culture filtrates revealed that the activity of cellulase, ${\beta}$-1,3-glucanase, pectinase, and amylase was highest in the exponential phase, whereas the activity of proteases and chitinase was noted highest in the stationary phase. Morphological changes such as hyphal swelling and distortion were also observed in the fungal pathogen grown on potato dextrose agar containing stationary phase culture filtrate. Moreover, the antifungal activity of the filtrate was significantly reduced but not entirely after heat or proteinase K treatment, demonstrating substantial role of certain unknown thermostable antifungal compound(s) in the inhibitory activity.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.197-209
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• 1995

This paper is a third report about the new fungal diseases of economic resource plants in Korea. It contains short descriptions on symptoms, occurrence conditions, pathogen, and some phytopathological notes for each of 10 fungal plant diseases. They are angular leaf spot of Achyranthes japonica by Cercospora achyranthis causing leaf spot and defoliation in the shade of plants, leaf spot of Armoracia lapathifolia by Cercospora armoraciae causing leaf spot to blight from the rainy season to autumn, hypophyllous mold of Dioscorea tokoro by Distocercospora pachyderma causing leaf spot and yellowing, hypophyllous mold of Artemisia spp.by Mycovellosiella ferruginea causing leaf spot and yellowing, angular leaf spot of Aralia elata by Pseudocercospora araliae causing velvety leaf spot and defoliation, hypophyllous mold of Lycium chinense by Pseudocercospora chengtuensis causing velvety leaf spot and defoliation from the rainy season to autumn, angular leaf spot of Diospyros lotus by Pseudocercospora disospyri-morrisianae causing leaf spot and defoliation from summer to autumn, brown leaf spot of Impatiens textori by Pseudocercospora nojimae causing leaf spot to blight from the rainy season, leaf spot of Cephalonoplos segetum by Ramularia cirsii causing leaf spot to blight throughout the growing season, and white mold of Leonurus sibiricus by Ramularia leonuri causing leaf spot to blight mostly in autumn.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.185-188
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• 2010

This study was undertaken to isolate and to identify a fungal pathogen Monilinia sp. KV-27 associated with apple anthracnose. Rotted Fuji apples were used for the isolation of the fungus. The infected tissues were sterilized with 70% ethanol, washed with sterilized distilled water and were transferred to 50 ml containing potato dextrose broth (PDB) flasks. The peripheral hyphae of the fungal colony which developed from the infected tissues were isolated on to potato dextrose agar (PDA). On PDA plates the fungus grew well at $25^{\circ}C$ and occupied more than half of a 9 cm petri dish within 5 days. The fungal cultures on PDA were used for morphological observation and identification of the fungus. Conidiophores were produced on the gray to whitish sporodochial structures scattered on PDA plates. These conidiophores gave rise to chains of conidia, which were branched and easily detached in water. These structures were dark brown to black and consisted of hyphal masses. Conidia produced on PDA plates were hyline or light colored, lemon shaped or ellipsoidal ($10-13{\times}8.5-11{\mu}m$) in size.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.442-446
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• 2009

This study was undertaken to isolate and to identify a fungal pathogen Colletotrichum sp. KV-21 associated with apple anthracnose. Rotted Gala apples were used for the isolation of the fungus. The infected tissues were sterilized with 70% ethanol, washed with sterilized distilled water and were transferred to 50 ml containing potato broth (PDB) flasks. The peripheral hyphae of the fungal colony which developed from the infected tissues were isolated on to potato dextrose agar (PDA). On PDA plates the fungus grew well at $25^{\circ}C$ and occupied more than half of a 9 cm petri dish within 5 days. The fungal cultures on PDA were used for morphological observation and identification of the fungus. Conidiophores were produced on the gray to whitish sporodochial structures scattered on PDA plates which gave rise to conidiogenous cells. The structures of the conidia produced on PDA plates were subcylindrical to obovoid, fusoid, tapered and 4 to $6\;{\mu}m$ in size.