Phytopathology最新文献

{"title":"Opportunities and Challenges in Combining Optical Sensing and Epidemiological Modeling.","authors":"Alexey Mikaberidze, C D Cruz, Ayalsew Zerihun, Abel Barreto, Pieter Beck, Rocío Calderón, Carlos Camino, Rebecca E Campbell, Stephanie K L Delalieux, Frédéric Fabre, Elin Falla, Stuart Fraser, Kaitlin M Gold, Carlos Gongora-Canul, Frédéric Hamelin, Dalphy O C Harteveld, Cheng-Fang Hong, Melen Leclerc, Da-Young Lee, Murillo Lobo, Anne-Katrin Mahlein, Emily McLay, Paul Melloy, Stephen Parnell, Uwe Rascher, Jack Rich, Irene Salotti, Samuel Soubeyrand, Susan Sprague, Antony Surano, Sandhya D Takooree, Thomas H Taylor, Suzanne Touzeau, Pablo J Zarco-Tejada, Nik J Cunniffe","doi":"10.1094/PHYTO-11-24-0359-FI","DOIUrl":"10.1094/PHYTO-11-24-0359-FI","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant diseases impair the yield and quality of crops and threaten the health of natural plant communities. Epidemiological models can predict disease and inform management. However, data are scarce, because traditional methods to measure plant diseases are resource intensive, which often limits model performance. Optical sensing offers a methodology to acquire detailed data on plant diseases across various spatial and temporal scales. Key technologies include multispectral, hyperspectral, and thermal imaging, as well as light detection and ranging; the associated sensors can be installed on ground-based platforms, uncrewed aerial vehicles, airplanes, and satellites. However, despite enormous potential for synergy, optical sensing and epidemiological modeling have rarely been integrated. To address this gap, we first review the state of the art to develop a common language accessible to both research communities. We then explore the opportunities and challenges in combining optical sensing with epidemiological modeling. We discuss how optical sensing can inform epidemiological modeling by improving model selection and parameterization and providing accurate maps of host plants. Epidemiological modeling can inform optical sensing by boosting measurement accuracy, improving data interpretation, and optimizing sensor deployment. We consider outstanding challenges in (A) identifying particular diseases; (B) data availability, quality, and resolution; (C) linking optical sensing and epidemiological modeling; and (D) emerging diseases. We conclude with recommendations to motivate and shape research and practice in both fields. Among other suggestions, we propose standardizing methods and protocols for optical sensing of plant health and developing open access databases including both optical sensing data and epidemiological models to foster cross-disciplinary work. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.</p>","PeriodicalId":20410,"journal":{"name":"Phytopathology","volume":" ","pages":"PHYTO11240359FI"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144174664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"RNA-seq Reveals Differential Responses in <i>Vitis vinifera</i> Cultivars Protected by Distinct Biocontrol Agents Against <i>Neofusicoccum parvum</i> Bt67.","authors":"Catarina Leal, Larissa Heck, Idir Saber, Dina Aggad, Nicolas Richet, David Gramaje, Josep Armengol, Florence Fontaine, Patricia Trotel-Aziz","doi":"10.1094/PHYTO-12-24-0399-R","DOIUrl":"10.1094/PHYTO-12-24-0399-R","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Botryosphaeria dieback (BD) is a worldwide grapevine trunk disease constituting a serious threat to sustainable grapevine production, especially in the context of climate change. Effective treatments to control BD are still lacking, prompting the exploration of new non-chemical alternatives. Among these, biocontrol agents (BCAs), such as <i>Trichoderma</i> spp. and <i>Bacillus</i> spp., are described as promising. This study aimed to thoroughly investigate the physiological changes in grapevines induced by two BCAs, <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> (<i>Bs</i> PTA-271) and <i>Trichoderma atroviride</i> (<i>Ta</i> SC1), which are used to protect two cultivars from <i>Neofusicoccum parvum</i> Bt67 (Np-Bt67) infection. Using nontarget transcriptomic analysis (RNA-seq) and validation by qRT-PCR, this research offers novel insights into the molecular responses associated with Np-Bt67 infection in Chardonnay and Tempranillo cultivars in relation to the protective mechanisms conferred by each BCA. RNA-seq revealed that the cultivars showed no common transcriptional changes upon pathogen challenge. In Chardonnay, changes were mainly related to terpene/carotenoid pathways, whereas in Tempranillo, they mostly related to amino acid transport and photosynthesis. Following the inoculation of protective BCA, changes were also distinct between the infected cultivars: <i>Bs</i> PTA-271's protective effect against infection in Chardonnay was mainly related to the phenylpropanoid pathway and secondary metabolic processes, whereas that of <i>Ta</i> SC1 for Tempranillo correlated with more metabolic changes. Consecutive validation by qRT-PCR provided markers indicating grapevine susceptibility versus protection against Np-Bt67, some of which are shared by both cultivars. These markers could offer valuable tools for monitoring the health status of grapevine toward <i>N. parvum</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":20410,"journal":{"name":"Phytopathology","volume":" ","pages":"PHYTO12240399R"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144216666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genomic Diversity of <i>Microviridae</i> Phage CLasMV1 in '<i>Candidatus</i> Liberibacter asiaticus'.","authors":"Fang Fang, Tingting Chen, Cheng Wang, Jiahui Liang, Ziyi Li, Yongqin Zheng, Christopher M Wallis, Jianchi Chen, Xiaoling Deng, Zheng Zheng","doi":"10.1094/PHYTO-04-25-0133-SC","DOIUrl":"10.1094/PHYTO-04-25-0133-SC","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A <i>Microviridae</i> phage, CLasMV1, was recently identified in '<i>Candidatus</i> Liberibacter asiaticus' (CLas), the bacterium associated with citrus Huanglongbing (HLB). The CLasMV1 strain GDHZ11D (CP045566) exhibited a circular genome of 8,869 bp containing eight open reading frames (ORFs). Phages of CLas play crucial roles in regulating bacterial population diversity that have potential use for HLB control. However, knowledge of CLasMV1 population diversity is currently limited. In this study, 1,520 CLas samples were collected from 10 citrus-growing provinces in China. PCR screening revealed that 1,042 samples (69%) harbored CLasMV1. Complete genome sequences of 43 CLasMV1 strains were obtained through Illumina HiSeq sequencing with genome sizes ranging from 8,696 to 8,881 bp. Variations were mostly related to single-nucleotide polymorphisms and sequence insertions/deletions. Notably, two hypervariable regions (HVRs) were identified. Two new ORFs were detected, ORF-A (144 bp) in HVR-1 and ORF-B (342 bp) in HVR-2. Whole-genome phylogenetic analysis using 43 strains from this study, 9 previously reported Chinese strains, and 2 Florida strains (CP040636 and MZ382797) delineated five genomic groups. Chinese strains dominated Groups 1 to 4, and Group 5 contained the Florida strains. Further analyses of HVR-1 across all 1,042 CLasMV1 samples detected a 173-bp sequence with suspected mobile activity. Analysis of a PacBio long-read assembly published previously detected a concatemer of the CLasMV1 sequence, suggesting that the phage used the rolling circle mechanism for its replication. These findings significantly enhance our understanding of CLasMV1 genomic diversity and will facilitate future research on CLasMV1 classification and HLB biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":20410,"journal":{"name":"Phytopathology","volume":" ","pages":"PHYTO04250133SC"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144226463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Safer and Smarter: Leveraging Interpretation-Guided Modeling and Data Merging of Disease and Environmental Data for Plant Disease Risk Prediction.","authors":"Kaique S Alves, Denis A Shah, Helene R Dillard, Emerson M Del Ponte, Sarah J Pethybridge","doi":"10.1094/PHYTO-01-25-0008-FI","DOIUrl":"10.1094/PHYTO-01-25-0008-FI","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant disease epidemiologists often work with datasets smaller than ideal for data-hungry machine-learning (ML) algorithms, thereby risking overfitting. We demonstrate how an interpretation-guided modeling approach, leveraging complex ML primarily for insight generation, can overcome this challenge, using white mold (caused by <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i>) in snap beans (<i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i>) as a case study. An observational dataset of white mold prevalence across 356 commercial snap bean fields in central and western New York State (2006 to 2008) was augmented by merging georeferenced observations with POLARIS soils data and engineered features from downscaled ERA5-Land environmental data. Functional data analysis identified weather periods associated with white mold risk, and random forests (RFs), used interpretatively, identified key predictors. Although RF models showed high apparent performance, they exhibited significant overfitting and poor calibration. Insights from RF interpretation (via SHapley Additive exPlanations analysis) guided the development of a simpler, four-predictor logistic regression model using restricted cubic splines. This simpler model was better calibrated and had acceptable discrimination (internally validated <i>C</i> statistic = 0.77). For smaller epidemiological datasets, our results advocate for using ML primarily as an interpretive tool to guide the development of simpler, less data-intensive, yet robust predictive models better suited for practical disease management decisions.</p>","PeriodicalId":20410,"journal":{"name":"Phytopathology","volume":" ","pages":"PHYTO01250008FI"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144768951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unified Classification of the Type III Secreted Effectors of Bacterial Plant Pathogens to Advance Phytopathology Research.","authors":"David Tsz Chung Chan, Viplav Agarwal, David A Baltrus, Marcus M Dillon","doi":"10.1094/PHYTO-02-25-0055-FI","DOIUrl":"10.1094/PHYTO-02-25-0055-FI","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many diverse bacterial phytopathogens deploy type III secreted effectors (T3SEs) to promote virulence by interrupting host immunity and other critical plant processes. However, the virulence of T3SEs has been countered on the host side through the evolution of a multitude of resistance genes (<i>R</i> genes) capable of recognizing the presence of T3SEs and eliciting a response termed effector-triggered immunity. This dynamic sets up an evolutionary arms race that has led to enormous diversification of both bacterial T3SEs and plant <i>R</i> genes. Over the past decade, efforts to document and characterize the pangenome T3SE profiles of individual pathogens have generated indispensable resources that have facilitated collaborative research progress on these focal pathogens. However, despite the deeply integrated evolutionary history of T3SEs, the lack of a concerted effort to synthesize T3SE conventions across diverse pathosystems has resulted in a lack of connectivity across the literature. Here, we catalog the distribution of T3SEs across six of the most globally significant genera of bacterial phytopathogens. We show that the number of T3SEs per genome varies dramatically within and between genera and that many T3SE families are present in multiple genera despite their sparse distributions across closely related strains. We also document all inter-genera evolutionary relationships for each T3SE family and propose integrated nomenclature conventions for all phytopathogen T3SEs. Ultimately, our expanded T3SE collection includes thousands of newly classified alleles, catalogs several previously unestablished homologies between distinct genera, and will enable more comprehensive studies on the implications of T3SE diversification for virulence and immunity.</p>","PeriodicalId":20410,"journal":{"name":"Phytopathology","volume":" ","pages":"PHYTO02250055FI"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144317771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coordination and Regulation of <i>Xanthomonas</i> Lifestyle by Sensing Environmental and Host Signals.","authors":"Arkaprabha China, Chayan Bhattacharjee, Kanishk Saraf, Sudiksha Yadav, Ayesha Faraz, Kalyan Nandi, Kurma Devakrishna, Subhadeep Chatterjee","doi":"10.1094/PHYTO-05-25-0183-RVW","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-05-25-0183-RVW","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant pathogenic bacteria causes great damage to global agriculture by infecting economically important crops and reducing yield. Among them, <i>Xanthomonas</i> spp. are particularly important group of plant pathogens, as they have the ability to colonize hundreds of plant species. These pathogens exhibit a dual lifestyle, existing both epiphytically on plant surfaces and endophytically within host tissues. To establish infection, <i>Xanthomonas</i> must adapt to a range of abiotic and biotic stresses, including temperature, light, osmotic changes, oxidative stress, and host immune responses. The bacteria rely on sophisticated environmental sensing mechanisms, including chemotaxis mediated by methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs), which help them detect host-derived chemical signals and navigate toward infection sites. Limited availability of nutrients, such as iron and magnesium within host tissues, acts as a cue that further modulates bacterial physiology and virulence. <i>Xanthomonas</i> has evolved efficient strategies to scavenge and store these nutrients, integrating these signals through tightly regulated gene networks. A central regulatory system involves diffusible signal factor (DSF)-mediated quorum sensing, which coordinates community-level behaviors such as motility, extracellular polysaccharide production, and secretion of virulence effectors. This review discusses recent advances in understanding how <i>Xanthomonas</i> integrates environmental and host-derived signals to regulate its pathogenicity. It emphasizes the role of DSF signaling, chemotaxis, and micronutrient acquisition in disease progression and host-pathogen interactions. Insights into these adaptive and regulatory mechanisms offer promising avenues for developing targeted strategies to control <i>Xanthomonas</i>-induced plant diseases and improve crop protection.</p>","PeriodicalId":20410,"journal":{"name":"Phytopathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145138558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of KASP Markers in Association with Avirulence Genes of <i>Puccinia striiformis</i> f. sp. <i>tritici</i>, the Wheat Stripe Rust Pathogen.","authors":"Hannah Merrill, Arjun Upadhaya, Meinan Wang, Qing Bai, Bingbing Jiang, Chongjing Xia, Yuxiang Li, Xianming Chen","doi":"10.1094/PHYTO-02-25-0074-R","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-02-25-0074-R","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Puccinia striiformis</i> f. sp. <i>tritici</i>, causing stripe rust, is one of the most prominent pathogens of wheat worldwide. The biotrophic and obligate fungus is capable of rapid developing new virulent races that can overcome race-specific resistance in host plants. The traditional virulence characterization of the pathogen requires strict conditions for testing isolates on wheat differentials with specific resistance genes, which is time consuming. Developing molecular markers for avirulence genes could provide an efficient method for monitoring virulence changes in the pathogen population. In this study, secreted protein (SP) gene-based single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers previously identified to be associated with avirulence genes of the pathogen were converted to Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) markers. The KASP markers were screened with a diverse panel of 192 isolates selected from various countries based on their virulent races and molecular genotypes. The markers significantly correlated to the avirulence/virulence phenotypic data of the 192 isolates were further validated with 845 isolates collected from the United States in 2019-2021. Based on the results of both the screening and validation data, 21 KASP markers significantly associated with different avirulence genes were developed. Seventeen of the 21 markers were significantly associated with two or more avirulence genes, and except <i>AvrYr10</i>, and the remaining 15 avirulence genes had two or more markers. Different combinations of up to three markers could be used for specific detection of 16 avirulence genes in monitoring the pathogen population.</p>","PeriodicalId":20410,"journal":{"name":"Phytopathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145131843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phenotyping of Syndrome \"Basses Richesses\" in Sugar Beet by Morphological and Spectral Traits.","authors":"Justus Detring, Jonas Bömer, Ayan Gupta, Omid Eini, Anne-Katrin Mahlein","doi":"10.1094/PHYTO-07-25-0239-R","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-07-25-0239-R","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Syndrome \"Basses Richesses\" (SBR) is a rapidly emerging sugar beet disease in central Europe having a severe economic impact on the sugar beet industry and thus commanding a demand for its control. The cultivation of tolerant varieties is a promising method to reduce SBR. Digital plant phenotyping can support the screening process for tolerant varieties by characterizing traits of interest and quantifying tolerance. This research provides foundational work for digitally phenotyping SBR. Morphological and spectral traits were analyzed with machine learning, supporting disease monitoring and screening for tolerant varieties under controlled conditions. A susceptible sugar beet variety was infected with the dominant causal agent of SBR <i>Candidatus</i> Arsenophonus phytopathogenicus (ARSEPH). Hyperspectral images of the canopy were recorded weekly between 20 and 62 days after inoculation (dai) and segmented by leaves and petioles. Sixty-seven dai each leaf was two-dimensionally (2D), and each taproot three-dimensionally (3D) imaged by angle-corrected 2D imaging and structured-light 3D scans, respectively. The results indicate substantial decreases in leaf area (19.7%), leaf length (6.9%), leaf blade length (13.1%), and leaf blade width (12.1%) resulting from ARSEPH-infection. The most important wavelengths for machine-learning-classification of ARSEPH-infected sugar beet were from the petioles (97% accuracy) in the range 623 to 659 nm and 421 to 432 nm. The 22 most relevant taproot 3D parameters were evaluated with Boruta-SHAP based on their importance to characterize SBR-induced taproot-deformation. Certain value- and spatial-regions were characteristic, indicating thresholds for 3D parameters and taproot-regions to analyse when comparing varieties.</p>","PeriodicalId":20410,"journal":{"name":"Phytopathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145126009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Survivability of <i>Pantoea stewartii</i> Subspecies <i>indologenes</i> in Crop Residue and Its Transmission Risk to Onions in Poaceae-<i>Allium</i> Cropping System.","authors":"Santosh Koirala, Anuj Lamichchane, Bhabesh Dutta","doi":"10.1094/PHYTO-05-25-0178-R","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-05-25-0178-R","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Pantoea stewartii</i> subspecies <i>indologenes</i> (<i>Psi</i>) isolates can cause disease in several Poaceae hosts, including millets and rice and were recently known to cause foliar and bulb symptoms characteristic of center rot in onions. Cover crops such as millet and cash crops like corn are commonly grown in the summer after onion harvest in Vidalia, Georgia, USA. However, the risk of pathogen transmission to onions in the cropping systems where summer crops precede onion planting is largely understudied. We evaluated the survivability of <i>Psi</i> in corn and pearl millet residues and assessed its ability to colonize onions transplanted into the infested soil. Our microplot study showed that millet and corn residues support the transient survival of <i>Psi</i>. The presence of the pathogen in the soil also overlapped with the presence of onion transplants. However, despite planting onion seedlings in <i>Psi</i>-infested soil, no bacterial colonization was observed in their rhizosphere and foliar surfaces. We further investigated genetic determinants for bacterial survival in millet residue and bare soil by creating deletion mutants of the genes responsible for exopolysaccharides, flagellar motility, quorum sensing and pathogenicity in a <i>Psi</i> pathovar <i>cepacicola</i> strain PNA 14-12. All mutant strains persisted for at least 24 days in millet residue at high population levels and colonies of all the strains remained detectable in bare soil until 44 days. Overall, our findings suggest that the risk of <i>Psi</i> transmission from millet or corn residue to onions appears is considerably low.</p>","PeriodicalId":20410,"journal":{"name":"Phytopathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145125810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>Botrytis michiganensis</i>: A New <i>Botrytis</i> Species Causing Blossom Blight on Highbush Blueberries.","authors":"J A Abbey, S Singh, K A Neugebauer, T D Miles","doi":"10.1094/PHYTO-06-25-0223-R","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-06-25-0223-R","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Highbush blueberries (<i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i>) are an important fruit crop worldwide and Michigan is one of the largest producers within the United States. Botrytis blossom blight and fruit rot are major diseases in this region. While <i>Botrytis cinerea</i> has long been considered the primary causal agent, a recent study identified a novel species in Michigan. In this article we describe a new species, <i>Botrytis michiganensis</i>, as an additional pathogen causing blossom blight. This study aimed to characterize <i>B. michiganensis</i> through multilocus phylogenetic analysis (<i>G3PDH, HSP60, RPB2, NEP1,</i> and <i>NEP2</i>), morpho-cultural traits, and fungicide sensitivity. Phylogenetic analyses, using both individual and concatenated gene sequences, placed <i>B. michiganensis</i> in a distinct clade closely related to <i>B. fabiopsis</i>, <i>B. caroliniana</i>, and <i>B. galanthina</i>. The isolates exhibited diverse cultural and morphological characteristics on potato dextrose agar, ranging from white to gray fluffy/cottony mycelia. None of the isolates produced conidia on artificial media but developed typical <i>Botrytis</i>-like conidiophores and conidia on inoculated plant tissues, characterized by hyaline to pale brown, elliptical to ovoid conidia, and branching conidiophores. Pathogenicity tests on blueberry tissues, green grapes, and white rose petals confirmed its ability to cause botrytis blossom blight and fruit rot, with disease severity comparable to <i>B. cinerea</i>. Fungicide sensitivity assays revealed that <i>B. michiganensis</i> isolates were sensitive to all tested fungicides except cyprodinil. These findings provide new insights into the <i>Botrytis</i> species complex affecting blueberries and highlight the need for further diversity studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":20410,"journal":{"name":"Phytopathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145065362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}