Cercospora zeae-maydis causes gray leaf spot of maize, which has become one of the most widespread and destructive diseases of maize in the world. C. zeae-maydis infects leaves through stomata, which is predicated on the ability of the pathogen to perceive stomata and reorient growth accordingly. In this study, the discovery that light was required for C. zeae-maydis to perceive stomata and inf...

Dickeya zeae is an emerging rice (Oryza sativa) pathogen causing bacterial foot rot. Related pathogens affect maize (Zea mays) and potato (Solanum tuberosum) and a variety of important ornamental and floral plants. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of D. zeae DZ2Q, an isolate obtained from rice grown in Italy.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Gibberella zeae, is a devastating disease of wheat. A strain of Clonostachys rosea, ACM941 (American Type Culture Collection ATCC 74447), was evaluated for antibiosis against G. zeae in vitro and for control of FHB under greenhouse and field conditions in comparison to the registered fungicide Folicur (tebuconazole). Strain ACM941 reduced mycelial growth of...

Host-parasite relationships of Pratylenchus zeae and Quinisulcius acutus, alone or in combination, were studied on sorghum in the greenhouse and laboratory. Q. acutus at 1,000 or 5,000 nematodes per 15-cm-d pot and P. zeae at 500 nematodes per pot significantly suppressed plant height and fresh and oven dry shoot and root weights. A mixture of 1,000 Q. acutus and 500 P. zeae per pot resulted in...

We report a draft genome sequence of Dickeya zeae strain MS1, which is the causative agent of banana soft rot in China, and we show several of its specific properties compared with those of other D. zeae strains. Genome sequencing provides a tool for understanding the genomic determination of the pathogenicity and phylogeny placement of this pathogen.

Gibberella zeae, a major cause of cereal scab, can be divided into two chemotypes based on production of the 8-ketotrichothecenes deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV). We cloned and sequenced a Tri13 homolog from each chemotype. The Tri13 from a NIV chemotype strain (88-1) is located in the trichothecene gene cluster and carries an open reading frame similar to that of Fusarium sporotrichio...

Similar host ranges were found for Heterodera schachtii and a race of H. trifolii parasitic on sugarbeet in The Netherlands. Twenty-nine of 41 plant accessions evaluated were susceptible to H. trifolii. Five breeding lines of the interspecific hybrid Beta vulgaris-B. procumbens which are resistant to H. schachtii were highly susceptible to H. trifolii. An accession of B. maritima with partial r...

Study of smut fungi on Liliaceae resulted to propose a new genus and three new combinations: Vankya Ershad, type V. ornithogali (Schmidt et Kunze) Ershad, based on Uredo ornithogali Schmidt et Kunze, V. heufleri (Fuckel) Ershad, based on Ustilago heufleri Fuckel, and V. vaillantii (L.-R. et C. Tulasne) Ershad, based on Ustilago vaillantii L.-R. et C. Tulasne.

The basidiomycetous smut fungus Ustilago trichophora RK089 produces malate from glycerol. De novo genome sequencing revealed a 20.7-Mbp genome (301 gap-closed contigs, 246 scaffolds). A comparison to the genome of Ustilago maydis 521 revealed all essential genes for malate production from glycerol contributing to metabolic engineering for improving malate production.