Panicum maximum as a reservoir of a potential maize pathogen
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Panicum maximum as a reservoir of a potential maize pathogen N. C. Maia & M. P. Melo & S. S. C. Guimarães & K. S. Matos & S. I. Moreira & U. G. P. Lana & P. G. Cardoso
Accepted: 22 October 2020 # Koninklijke Nederlandse Planteziektenkundige Vereniging 2020
Abstract Endophytic fungi are capable of infecting plants without inducing the development of any observable symptoms. Certain fungal species can also coexist as latent pathogens in their specific hosts. Several species of Fusarium have been reported to form an association with grasses as endophytes or latent pathogens, some of which are also mycotoxin producers. In this study, we aimed to address whether forage grasses could act as potential reservoirs of species that are pathogenic to maize (Zea mays). To this end, we performed morphological and phylogenetic analyses of the elongation factor 1-α (EF-1α) and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2) genes and characterized three fungal strains isolated from Panicum maximum (cv. Mombaça) as a new phylogenetic species, Fusarium gigantea, within the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex. Moreover, the results of the pathogenicity test,
such as the toothpick inoculation assay, revealed that these species caused the stalk rot disease in maize when maintained under greenhouse conditions. This finding highlights P. maximum as a potential reservoir of this pathogen and its role as a threat to maize cultivation. Keywords Forage grass . Fusarium fujikuroi species complex . Molecular phylogeny . Maize disease
Introduction Endophytic fungi colonize healthy plant tissues and affect their physiological functions by modulating the host plant’s resistance mechanism. This is mediated by interactions such as hyperparasitism, competition or antibiosis (Busby et al. 2016). By definition, an
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007 /s10658-020-02145-z. N. C. Maia : P. G. Cardoso (*) Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil e-mail: [email protected]
K. S. Matos Departamento de Fitotecnia, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Roraima, Boa Vista, RR 69310-000, Brazil
M. P. Melo Universidade Federal do Acre, Campus Floresta, Cruzeiro do Sul, AC 68895-000, Brazil
U. G. P. Lana Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa, Sete Lagoas, MG 35701-970, Brazil
S. S. C. Guimarães : S. I. Moreira Departamento de Fitopatologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
Eur J Plant Pathol
endophyte cannot cause disease. However, depending on the host environment, a fungal endophyte might elicit pathogenicity. Therefore, to establish whether an endophytic fungus has the potential to elicit pathogenicity, further investigation is necessary to provide functional proof of endophyte pathogenicity that can validate Koch’s postulates as well (Photita et al. 2004; Busby et al. 2016; Górzyńska et al. 2019). Studies have revealed that several species of
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