Histopathology and quantification of green fluorescent protein-tagged Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. luffae isolate in resistant and susceptible Luffa germplasm.

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. luffae (Folu) is a severe plant pathogen that causes vascular wilt and root rot in Luffa plants worldwide. A green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged isolate of Folu (Fomh16-GFP) was utilized to investigate the infection progress and colonization of Fomh16-GFP in resistant (LA140) and susceptible (LA100) Luffa genotypes. Seven days post-inoculation (dpi), it was observed that Fomh16-GFP had successfully invaded and colonized the vascular bundle of all LA100 parts, including the roots, hypocotyl, and stem. Pathogen colonization continued to increase over time, leading to the complete wilting of plants by 14-17 dpi. In LA140, the Fomh16-GFP isolate colonized the roots and hypocotyl vascular system at 7 dpi. Nevertheless, this colonization was restricted in the hypocotyl and decreased significantly, and no fungal growth was detected in the vascular system at 21 dpi. Thus, the resistant genotype might trigger a robust defense mechanism. In addition, while the pathogen was present in LA140, the inoculated plants did not exhibit any symptoms until 28 dpi. Quantitative PCR was utilized to measure the Fomh16-GFP biomass in various parts of LA100 and LA140 at different time points. The findings indicated a positive correlation between the quantity of Fomh16-GFP DNA and disease development in LA100. Alternatively, a high amount of Fomh16-GFP DNA was identified in the roots of LA140. Nonetheless, no significant correlations were found between DNA amount and disease progression in LA140. Aqueous extracts from LA140 significantly reduced Fomh16-GFP spore germination, while no significant reduction was detected using LA100 extracts.IMPORTANCEFusarium wilt of Luffa, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. luffae (Folu), causes great losses in Luffa plants worldwide. This study used a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged isolate of Folu (Fomh16-GFP) to investigate the infection progress and colonization dynamics of Fomh16-GFP in the resistant and susceptible Luffa genotypes, which could be important in understanding the resistance mechanism of Folu in Luffa plants. In addition, our work highlights the correlations between DNA amount and disease progression in resistant plants using real-time PCR. We observed a positive correlation between the quantity of Fomh16-GFP DNA and disease progression in LA100, while no significant correlation was found in LA140. These results could be valuable to further investigate the resistance mechanism of Luffa genotypes against Folu. Gaining a better understanding of the interaction between Folu and Luffa plants is crucial for effectively managing Fusarium wilt and enhancing resistance in Luffa rootstock and its varieties.

Paramyrothecium eichhorniae sp. nov., Causing Leaf Blight Disease of Water Hyacinth from Thailand.

Paramyrothecium eichhorniae sp. nov. was observed and collected from Chiang Mai and Phetchaburi Provinces, Thailand. This new species is introduced based on morphological and molecular evidence. This fungus is characterized by its production of sporodochium conidiomata with a white setose fringe surrounding an olivaceous green to dark green slimy mass of conidia, penicillately branched conidiophores, and aseptate and cylindrical to ellipsoid conidia. Phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU rDNA, ITS rDNA, tef1, rpb2, tub2 and cmdA sequence data using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches placed the fungus in a strongly supported clade with other Paramyrothecium species in Stachybotryaceae (Hypocreales, Sordariomycetes). The descriptions of the species are accompanied by illustrations of morphological features, and a discussion of the related taxa is presented.

Discovery of teliospores of a Cape jasmine rust fungus, Hemileia gardeniae-floridae (Pucciniales), and its occurrence in Thailand.

Hemileia gardeniae-floridae is an accepted name for a Cape jasmine (Gardenia jasminoides) rust fungus distributed in East Asia. The fungus name was based on uredinial anamorph collected in Taiwan in 1931. The fungus was rarely collected in Taiwan and southern Japan, and its telial stage remained unknown. Microscopic examination of the type materials of H. gardeniae-floridae and Uredo gardeniae-floridae, which was once proposed to replace H. gardeniae-floridae, resulted in discovery of teliospores on the type of U. gardeniae-floridae. The teliospores are mostly napiform and produced on a sporogenous cell emerging through host stoma. A hemileioid rust fungus, producing both urediniospores and teliospores on Golden gardenia (G. sootepensis), was found in Thailand and morphologically identified to H. gardeniae-floridae. Another Hemileia species on Forest jasmine (G. thunbergia), H. gardeniae-thunbergiae, first found in Angola, Africa, is distinct from H. gardeniae-floridae in producing smaller urediniospores than those of H. gardeniae-floridae.