Shofman Galia, Degani Ofir
Department of Plant Sciences, Migal - Galilee Research Institute, Kiryat Shmona, Israel.
Faculty of Sciences, Tel-Hai University, Upper Galilee, Tel-Hai, Israel.
Front Microbiol. 2025 Jan 27;16:1520237. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1520237. eCollection 2025.
Maize late wilt disease, caused by the fungus , poses a significant threat to susceptible crops. Despite efforts to control it through resistant maize varieties, virulent fungal strains might overcome immunity. This study assessed Israeli strains with weak, moderate, and highly pathogenic degrees in two open-air pot trials. Even weak pathogenic strains harmed susceptible cultivars (17% growth suppression and 33% death). In contrast, resistant cultivars were minimally affected, except when exposed to a highly aggressive isolate, resulting in a 5% growth suppression and 11% mortality at harvest. Unexpectedly, in a susceptible cultivar during sprouting, a mixed inoculum with the two more virulent isolates resulted in reduced disease (15%) compared to the highly aggressive strain alone (33%). At harvest (day 84), this pattern was reversed, and adding a weak virulent strain to this combination led to more severe growth (33%) and health (71%) disruption, accompanied by a higher level of infection (371% compared to the aggressive strain alone). Similar interactions were found in other strain groups tested. Additionally, some subspecies groups specialize in growth suppression, while others in wilting, suggesting biotrophic/necrotrophic variations. The study revealed complex interactions in mixed populations, emphasizing the destructive potential of the pathogen to resistant cultivars. Understanding the role of maize age-related immunity in disease generation uncovers risks associated with this pathogen.
玉米晚枯病由真菌引起，对易感作物构成重大威胁。尽管通过抗性玉米品种来控制该病，但毒性强的真菌菌株可能会克服免疫力。本研究在两项露天盆栽试验中评估了以色列具有弱、中、高致病程度的菌株。即使是弱致病菌株也会损害易感品种（生长抑制17%，死亡率33%）。相比之下，抗性品种受到的影响最小，除非暴露于极具侵袭性的分离株，在收获时导致生长抑制5%，死亡率11%。出乎意料的是，在一个易感品种发芽期间，与单独使用极具侵袭性的菌株（33%）相比，用两种毒性更强的分离株混合接种导致病害减轻（15%）。在收获期（第84天），这种模式发生了逆转，向该组合中添加弱毒菌株导致更严重的生长（33%）和健康（71%）破坏，同时感染水平更高（与单独的侵袭性菌株相比增加371%）。在测试的其他菌株组中也发现了类似的相互作用。此外，一些亚种组专门导致生长抑制，而其他亚种组则导致枯萎，这表明存在活体营养/死体营养的差异。该研究揭示了混合种群中的复杂相互作用，强调了病原体对抗性品种具有破坏潜力。了解玉米与年龄相关免疫在病害发生中的作用揭示了与这种病原体相关的风险。
