AIMS Four well-described strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens were assessed for their effect on pea growth and their antagonistic activity against large Pythium ultimum inocula. METHODS AND RESULTS The effect of Pseudomonas strains on the indigenous soil microflora, soil enzyme activities and plant growth in the presence and absence of Pythium was assessed. Pythium inoculation reduced the shoot...

The kingdom Stramenopile includes diatoms, brown algae, and oomycetes. Plant pathogenic oomycetes, including Phytophthora, Pythium and downy mildew species, cause devastating diseases on a wide range of host species and have a significant impact on agriculture. Here, we report comparative analyses on the genomes of thirteen straminipilous species, including eleven plant pathogenic oomycetes, to...

Stand problems consistently cause significant production losses and management problems in Arkansas rice fields. Previous research, funded by the Rice Research and Promotion Board, identified the role of environmental factors and soilborne plant pathogens in limiting rice stand establishment, and had the goal of determining the conditions where soilborne pathogens, especially Pythium species, p...

A DNA array containing 172 oligonucleotides complementary to specific diagnostic regions of internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of more than 100 species was developed for identification and detection of Pythium species. All of the species studied, with the exception of Pythium ostracodes, exhibited a positive hybridization reaction with at least one corresponding species-specific oligonucleotide...

The author investigated aquatic fungi developing on the seeds of some plants in various types of water bodies of Podlasie Province. The bait method was used to isolate the fungi. Seventy-four aquatic fungal species were found on seeds of three species of plants: Cannabis sativa hemp-seeds 59, Fagopyrum esculentum buckwheat-seeds 55 and on Vicia sativa vetch-seeds 44 in water of four various bod...

Damping-off diseases incited by different species of Pythium are a persistent problem worldwide, often resulting in reduced yields and occasionally resulting in major crop damage. There have been increasing restrictions on the use of chemical fungicides, and the development of disease-suppressive biocontrol agents has become a major goal of horticulture crops. An experiment was conducted with t...

ABSTRACT A series of laboratory tests were conducted to investigate potential effects of fungus gnat (Bradysia impatiens) feeding damage on susceptibility of geranium seedlings (Pelargonium x hortorum) to infection by the root rot pathogen Pythium aphanidermatum. Effects were compared with those from similar tests in which the seedlings were mechanically wounded by severing the root tip with a ...

Burkholderia cepacia AMMDR1 is a biocontrol agent that protects pea and sweet corn seeds from Pythium damping-off in field experiments. The goal of this work was to understand the effect of B. cepacia AMMDR1 on Pythium aphanidermatum and Aphanomyces euteiches zoospore homing events and on infection of pea seeds or roots. In vitro, B. cepacia AMMDR1 caused zoospore lysis, prevented cyst germinat...