Evaluation of biological control agents for the protection of almond pruning wounds against infection by fungal canker pathogens
Fungal canker pathogens of almond initiate infection in trees primarily through pruning wounds. Biological control agents (BCAs) have the potential to provide long-term protection of pruning wounds by colonizing the wound surfaces and underlying tissues. Laboratory and field tests were performed to assess the efficacy of various commercial and experimental BCAs as wound protectants against […]
Limited Evidence for Accumulation of Latent Infections of Canker-Causing Pathogens in Shoots of Stone Fruit and Nut Crops in California
Prevalence of latent infections of the canker-causing fungi Botryosphaeria dothidea and species of Cytospora, Diplodia, Lasiodiplodia, Neofusicoccum, and Phomopsis in young shoots of almond, prune and walnut trees in California was studied to test the hypotheses that 1) latent infections accumulate from current-season shoots to 1-year-old shoots in the orchard and 2) there are distinct […]
The first genomic resources for Phymatotrichopsis omnivora, a soil-borne pezizomycete pathogen with a broad host range
Phymatotrichopsis omnivora is a destructive plant pathogen causing root rot disease of alfalfa, cotton, pecan, grape, and many other important dicotyledonous species. A member of the family Rhizinaceae, in the class Pezizomycetes, P. omnivora is a soilborne ascomycete fungus that is difficult to maintain in culture, currently genetically intractable, and for which there are no […]
Aggressiveness of Spanish isolates of Xylella fastidiosa to almond plants of different cultivars under greenhouse conditions
The aggressiveness of Spanish isolates of X. fastidiosa, representing different sequence types, were studied in almond plants of several cultivars by means of the dynamics of the population levels and symptoms, colonization and spread, and dose-response relationships. Pathogen dynamics in almond plants under greenhouse conditions showed doubling times of 2.1 to 2.5 days during the […]
Draft genome of the husk spot pathogen, Pseudocercospora macadamiae, infecting macadamia.
Pseudocercospora macadamiae causes husk spot in macadamia in Australia. Lack of genomic resources for this pathogen has restricted acquiring knowledge on the mechanism of disease development, spread and its role in fruit abscission. To address this gap, we sequenced the genome of P. macadamaie. The sequence was de novo assembled into a draft genome of 40 Mb, […]
Spatio-temporal Spread of Abnormal Vertical Growth of Macadamia in Australia Informs Epidemiology.
Australian macadamia production is threatened by a disorder known as abnormal vertical growth (AVG), for which the aetiology is unknown. AVG is characterized by vigorous upright growth and reduced lateral branching, flowering and nut set that results in over 70% yield loss annually. Six commercial macadamia orchards were surveyed in 2012 and again in 2018 […]
Cultural and Genetic Approaches to Manage Aflatoxin Contamination: Recent Insights Provide Opportunities for Improved Control.
Aspergillus flavus is a morphologically complex species that can produce the group of polyketide derived carcinogenic and mutagenic secondary metabolites, aflatoxins, as well as other secondary metabolites such as cyclopiazonic acid and aflatrem. Aflatoxin causes aflatoxicosis when aflatoxins are ingested through contaminated food and feed. In addition, aflatoxin contamination is a major problem, from both […]