Genome Resources for Four Clarireedia Species Causing Dollar Spot on Diverse Turfgrasses.

Dollar spot (DS) is a destructive fungal disease impacting almost all warm- and cool-season turfgrasses worldwide. Multiple fungal species in the genus Clarireedia are causal agents of DS. Here, we present whole-genome assemblies of nine fungal isolates in the genus Clarireedia, including four species (C. paspali, C. hainanense, C. jacksonii, and C. monteithiana) causing DS on seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum Sw.), creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.), and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) in China. This work provides valuable baseline genomic data to support further research and management of DS pathogens on turfgrasses.

Activity of the Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitor Fungicide Benzovindiflupyr Against Clarireedia spp.

Dollar spot (DS), caused by Clarireedia spp. (formerly Sclerotinia homoeocarpa), is one of the most important diseases of turfgrasses worldwide. Benzovindiflupyr, a pyrazole carboxamide fungicide belonging to succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors, was recently registered for DS control. In this study, baseline sensitivity, toxicity, and control efficacy of benzovindiflupyr against Clarireedia spp. were evaluated. The frequency of sensitivities had a unimodal distribution (Kolmogorov-Smirnov, P > 0.10). The mean EC50 value was 1.109 ± 0.555 µg/ml, with individual values ranging from 0.160 to 2.548 µg/ml. Benzovindiflupyr increased the number of hyphal offshoots and cell membrane permeability and inhibited oxalic acid production. Positive cross-resistance was observed between benzovindiflupyr and boscalid, but not between benzovindiflupyr and thiophanate-methyl, propiconazole, or iprodione. Benzovindiflupyr showed high protective and curative control efficacies in vivo and in field applications. Both protective and curative control efficacies of benzovindiflupyr were significantly better than propiconazole, and equivalent to boscalid, over 2 years of field research. The results have important implications for managing DS and fungicide resistance problems in Clarireedia spp.

Comparative genomics and transcriptome analysis reveals potential pathogenic mechanisms of Microdochium paspali on seashore paspalum.

The sparse leaf patch of seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum Sw.) caused by Microdochium paspali seriously impacts the landscape value of turf and poses a challenge to the maintenance and management of golf courses. Little is known about the genome of M. paspali or the potential genes underlying pathogenicity. In this study, we present a high-quality genome assembly of M. paspali with 14 contigs using the Nanopore and Illumina platform. The M. paspali genome is roughly 37.32 Mb in size and contains 10,365 putative protein-coding genes. These encompass a total of 3,830 pathogen-host interactions (PHI) genes, 481 carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) coding genes, 105 effectors, and 50 secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (SMGCs) predicted to be associated with pathogenicity. Comparative genomic analysis suggests M. paspali has 672 species-specific genes (SSGs) compared to two previously sequenced non-pathogenic Microdochium species, including 24 species-specific gene clusters (SSGCs). Comparative transcriptomic analyses reveal that 739 PHIs, 198 CAZymes, 40 effectors, 21 SMGCs, 213 SSGs, and 4 SSGCs were significantly up-regulated during the process of infection. In conclusion, the study enriches the genomic resources of Microdochium species and provides a valuable resource to characterize the pathogenic mechanisms of M. paspali.

Distribution and Prevalence of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes of Turfgrass at Golf Courses in China.

We sampled 127 turfgrass soil samples from 33 golf courses in NC, EC, and SC for plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs). PPNs were extracted from soil samples using the shallow dish method and were identified at the genus or species levels with a combination of morphological and molecular methods. The results revealed 41 species of nematode belonging to 20 genera and 10 families. Nine genera are new records of PPNs associated with turfgrass in China. The PPNs show strong geographical distributions. Of the 20 genera, Helicotylenchus, Paratrichodorus, Hoplolaimus, Meloidogyne, Hemicriconemoides, and Mesocriconema showed higher infestation and frequency, and most of these genera had numbers in soil samples above established damage thresholds. Four golf courses had soil samples with PPNs > 30%, indicating the potential for nematode damage. The biodiversity indices H', SR, J', λ, and H2 showed significant differences among different regions and turfgrass species; H', SR, J', and H2 were significantly higher in EC than in NC and SC, while λ was lowest in EC. Creeping bentgrass had the highest H', SR, J', and H2 and the lowest λ in comparison with seashore paspalum and hybrid bermudagrass. These findings provide baseline information on the occurrence of turfgrass-associated PPNs in China, and have important implications for the effective management of PPNs causing damage on turfgrass.

Fluorescent salicylaldehyde hydrazone as selective chemosensor for Zn2+ in aqueous ethanol: a ratiometric approach.

4-N,N-diethylaminosalicylaldehyde hydrazone Schiff base (1) and its analogues (2-6) were synthesized and characterized by NMR, MS and elemental analysis. Compound 1 exhibited ratiometric fluorescent response to Zn(2+) over other metal ions in aqueous ethanol solution with neutral buffer. The complexation ratio, site and constant and the effect of pH value and water fraction on its fluorescent response to Zn(2+) were investigated.

New fluorescent rhodamine hydrazone chemosensor for Cu(II) with high selectivity and sensitivity.

[reaction: see text] A new fluorescent probe, salicylaldehyde rhodamine B hydrazone (1), was synthesized and displayed selective Cu(II)-amplified absorbance and fluorescence emission above 500 nm in neutral buffered media. Upon the addition of Cu(II), the spirolactam ring of 1 was opened and a 1:1 metal-ligand complex was formed. The detection of Cu(II) by 1 at a lower micromolar level was successful even in buffered water.

Bifunctional Au-Fe3O4 nanoparticles for protein separation.

In this article, we report the synthesis of bifunctional Au-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles that are formed by chemical bond linkage. Due to the introduction of Au nanoparticles, the resulting bifunctional Au-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles can be easily modified with other functional molecules to realize various nanobiotechnological separations and detections. Here, as an example, we demonstrate that as-prepared Au-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles can be modified with nitrilotriacetic acid molecules through Au-S interaction and used to separate proteins simply with the assistance of a magnet. Bradford protein assay and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were performed to examine the validity of the separation procedure, and the phosphate determination method suggested that the as-separated protein maintained catalytic activity. This result shows the efficiency of such a material in protein separation and suggests that its use can be extended to magnetic separation of other biosubstances. Moreover, this synthetic strategy paves the way for facile preparation of diverse bifunctional and even multifunctional nanomaterials.