This number of Mycological Research News features: In this issue; Fungi associated with insects or used for applied biocontrol ; Powdery mildews as invasive plant pathogens: new epidemics caused by two North American species in Europe; and Genetic differences among nuclei in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. This theme issue on fungi associated with insects includes ten papers on this topic. These ...

Biological control of plant diseases has gained acceptance in recent years. Bacillus subtilis UMAF6639 is an antagonistic strain specifically selected for the efficient control of the cucurbit powdery mildew fungus Podosphaera fusca, which is a major threat to cucurbits worldwide. The antagonistic activity relies on the production of the antifungal compounds iturin and fengycin. In a previous s...

The calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) is a ser/thr protein kinase that plays vital roles in plant growth, development, and responses to multiple stresses. Despite an important member of the stress responsive gene family, little is known about the evolutionary history and expression patterns of CDPK genes in melon. Herein, a total of 18 CDPK genes and 7 CDPK-related protein kinases (CRK) g...

Understanding the mechanisms responsible for divergence and specialization of pathogens on different hosts is of fundamental importance, especially in the context of the emergence of new diseases via host shifts. Temporal isolation has been reported in a few plants and parasites, but is probably one of the least studied speciation processes. We studied whether temporal isolation could be respon...

Powdery mildew of melon caused by the Podosphaera xanthii factor is a disease that causes serious yield losses economically in all areas where grown from Asia to Europe and America. The use resistant varieties for control most environmentally friendly method. However, traditional methods breeding have made noteworthy input resistance improvement, but they been slow incompetent targeting complex...

Ampelomyces quisqualis CPA-9 was reported as a promising biocontrol fungus against powdery mildew on cucurbits, although its formulation had not been developed. The present work aimed to develop fluidised-bed spray-dried of that included film-forming compounds, which could improve the behaviour microorganism under practical conditions. Film forming efficacy, shelf life, physical stability funct...

Varieties resistant to powdery mildew (PM; caused by Podosphaera leucotricha) are a major component of sustainable apple production. Resistance can be achieved by knocking-out susceptibility S-genes to be singled out among members of the MLO (Mildew Locus O) gene family. Candidates are MLO S-genes of phylogenetic clade V up-regulated upon PM inoculation, such as MdMLO11 and 19 (clade V) and MdM...

Even though the potential of fungus Ampelomyces quisqualis against powdery mildew has been largely demonstrated, efficacy commercialised product AQ10 Biofungicide is not consistent. Recently, a solid formulation A. strain CPA-9 that included biodegradable coatings on its composition was developed to overcome major shortcomings biocontrol agents applied under practical conditions. The aims prese...

Diagnosis and detection are key aspects related to plant health status. A critical review of the available diagnostic methods utilised for Agrobacterium rhizogenes and A. tumefaciens, Pseudomonas amygdali, P. syringae pv. mors-prunorum, P. syringae pv. persicae, P. syringae pv. syringae and Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni, the main pathogens of the stone fruit trees, is presented. As there is ...