Absence of induced resistance in Agaricus bisporus against Lecanicillium fungicola.

Lecanicillium fungicola causes dry bubble disease and is an important problem in the cultivation of Agaricus bisporus. Little is known about the defense of mushrooms against pathogens in general and L. fungicola in particular. In plants and animals, a first attack by a pathogen often induces a systemic response that results in an acquired resistance to subsequent attacks by the same pathogen. The development of functionally similar responses in these two eukaryotic kingdoms indicates that they are important to all multi-cellular organisms. We investigated if such responses also occur in the interaction between the white button mushroom and L. fungicola. A first infection of mushrooms of the commercial A. bisporus strain Sylvan A15 by L. fungicola did not induce systemic resistance against a subsequent infection. Similar results were obtained with the A. bisporus strain MES01497, which was demonstrated to be more resistant to dry bubble disease. Apparently, fruiting bodies of A. bisporus do not express induced resistance against L. fungicola.

Combining novel monitoring tools and precision application technologies for integrated high-tech crop protection in the future (a discussion document).

The possibility of combining novel monitoring techniques and precision spraying for crop protection in the future is discussed. A generic model for an innovative crop protection system has been used as a framework. This system will be able to monitor the entire cropping system and identify the presence of relevant pests, diseases and weeds online, and will be location specific. The system will offer prevention, monitoring, interpretation and action which will be performed in a continuous way. The monitoring is divided into several parts. Planting material, seeds and soil should be monitored for prevention purposes before the growing period to avoid, for example, the introduction of disease into the field and to ensure optimal growth conditions. Data from previous growing seasons, such as the location of weeds and previous diseases, should also be included. During the growing season, the crop will be monitored at a macroscale level until a location that needs special attention is identified. If relevant, this area will be monitored more intensively at a microscale level. A decision engine will analyse the data and offer advice on how to control the detected diseases, pests and weeds, using precision spray techniques or alternative measures. The goal is to provide tools that are able to produce high-quality products with the minimal use of conventional plant protection products. This review describes the technologies that can be used or that need further development in order to achieve this goal.

Differential interaction of Salmonella enterica serovars with lettuce cultivars and plant-microbe factors influencing the colonization efficiency.

The availability of knowledge of the route of infection and critical plant and microbe factors influencing the colonization efficiency of plants by human pathogenic bacteria is essential for the design of preventive strategies to maintain safe food. This research describes the differential interaction of human pathogenic Salmonella enterica with commercially available lettuce cultivars. The prevalence and degree of endophytic colonization of axenically grown lettuce by the S. enterica serovars revealed a significant serovar-cultivar interaction for the degree of colonization (S. enterica CFUs per g leaf), but not for the prevalence. The evaluated S. enterica serovars were each able to colonize soil-grown lettuce epiphytically, but only S. enterica serovar Dublin was able to colonize the plants also endophytically. The number of S. enterica CFU per g of lettuce was negatively correlated to the species richness of the surface sterilized lettuce cultivars. A negative trend was observed for cultivars Cancan and Nelly, but not for cultivar Tamburo. Chemotaxis experiments revealed that S. enterica serovars actively move toward root exudates of lettuce cultivar Tamburo. Subsequent micro-array analysis identified genes of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium that were activated by the root exudates of cultivar Tamburo. A sugar-like carbon source was correlated with chemotaxis, while also pathogenicity-related genes were induced in presence of the root exudates. The latter revealed that S. enterica is conditioned for host cell attachment during chemotaxis by these root exudates. Finally, a tentative route of infection is described that includes plant-microbe factors, herewith enabling further design of preventive strategies.