Previsual and Early Detection of Myrtle Rust on Rose Apple Using Indices Derived from Thermal Imagery and Visible-to-Short-Infrared Spectroscopy.

Myrtle rust, caused by the fungus Austropuccinia psidii, is a serious disease, which affects many Myrtaceae species. Commercial nurseries that propagate Myrtaceae species are prone to myrtle rust and require a reliable method that allows previsual and early detection of the disease. This study uses time-series thermal imagery and visible-to-short-infrared spectroscopy measurements acquired over 10 days from 81 rose apple plants (Syzygium jambos) that were either inoculated with myrtle rust or maintained disease-free. Using these data, the objectives were to (i) quantify the accuracy of models using thermal indices and narrowband hyperspectral indices (NBHI) for previsual and early detection of myrtle rust using data from older resistant green leaves and young susceptible red leaves and (ii) identify the most important NBHI and thermal indices for disease detection. Using predictions made on a validation dataset, models using indices derived from thermal imagery were able to perfectly (F1 score = 1.0; accuracy = 100%) distinguish control from infected plants previsually one day before symptoms appeared (1 DBS) and for all stages after early symptoms appeared. Compared with control plants, plants with myrtle rust had lower and more variable normalized canopy temperature, which was associated with higher stomatal conductance and transpiration. Using NBHI derived from green leaves, excellent previsual classification was achieved 3 DBS, 2 DBS, and 1 DBS (F1 score range = 0.89 to 0.94). The accurate characterization of myrtle rust during previsual and early stages of disease development suggests that a robust detection methodology could be developed within a nursery setting. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.

Resistance of New Zealand Provenance Leptospermum scoparium, Kunzea robusta, Kunzea linearis, and Metrosideros excelsa to Austropuccinia psidii.

Resistance to the pandemic strain of Austropuccinia psidii was identified in New Zealand provenance Leptospermum scoparium, Kunzea robusta, and K. linearis plants. Only 1 Metrosideros excelsa-resistant plant was found (of the 570 tested) and no resistant plants of either Lophomyrtus bullata or L. obcordata were found. Three types of resistance were identified in Leptospermum scoparium. The first two, a putative immune response and a hypersensitive response, are leaf resistance mechanisms found in other myrtaceous species while on the lateral and main stems a putative immune stem resistance was also observed. Both leaf and stem infection were found on K. robusta and K. linearis plants as well as branch tip dieback that developed on almost 50% of the plants. L. scoparium, K. robusta, and K. linearis are the first myrtaceous species where consistent infection of stems has been observed in artificial inoculation trials. This new finding and the first observation of significant branch tip dieback of plants of the two Kunzea spp. resulted in the development of two new myrtle rust disease severity assessment scales. Significant seed family and provenance effects were found in L. scoparium, K. robusta, and K. linearis: some families produced significantly more plants with leaf, stem, and (in Kunzea spp.) branch tip dieback resistance, and provenances provided different percentages of resistant families and plants. The distribution of the disease symptoms on plants from the same seed family, and between plants from different seed families, suggested that the leaf, stem, and branch tip dieback resistances were the result of independent disease resistance mechanisms.

Transcriptome data from three endemic Myrtaceae species from New Caledonia displaying contrasting responses to myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii).

The myrtle rust disease, caused by the fungus Austropuccinia psidii, infects a wide range of host species within the Myrtaceae family worldwide. Since its first report in 2013 in New Caledonia, it was found on various types of native environments where Myrtaceae are the dominant or codominant species, as well as in several commercial nurseries. It is now considered as a significant threat to ecosystems biodiversity and Myrtaceae-related economy. The use of predictive molecular markers for resistance against myrtle rust is currently the most cost-effective and ecological approach to control the disease. Such an approach for neo Caledonian endemic Myrtaceae species was not possible because of the lack of genomic resources. The recent advancement in new generation sequencing technologies accompanied with relevant bioinformatics tools now provide new research opportunity for work in non-model organism at the transcriptomic level. The present study focuses on transcriptome analysis on three Myrtaceae species endemic to New Caledonia (Arillastrum gummiferum, Syzygium longifolium and Tristaniopsis glauca) that display contrasting responses to the pathogen (non-infected vs infected). Differential gene expression (DGE) and variant calling analysis were conducted on each species. We combined a dual approach by using 1) the annotated reference genome of a related Myrtaceae species (Eucalyptus grandis) and 2) a de novo transcriptomes of each species.

Myrteae phylogeny, calibration, biogeography and diversification patterns: Increased understanding in the most species rich tribe of Myrtaceae.

Myrteae (c. 2500 species; 51 genera) is the largest tribe of Myrtaceae and an ecologically important groups of angiosperms in the Neotropics. Systematic relationships in Myrteae are complex, hindering conservation initiatives and jeopardizing evolutionary modelling. A well-supported and robust phylogenetic hypothesis was here targeted towards a comprehensive understanding of the relationships within the tribe. The resultant topology was used as a base for key evolutionary analyses such as age estimation, historical biogeography and diversification rate patterns. One nuclear (ITS) and seven chloroplast (psbA-trnH, matK, ndhF, trnl-trnF, trnQ-rps16, rpl16 and rpl32-trnL) DNA regions for 115 taxa representing 46 out of the 51 genera in the tribe were accessed and analysed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference tools for phylogenetic reconstruction. Dates of diversification events were estimated and contrasted using two distinct fossil sets (macro and pollen) in BEAST. The subsequent dated phylogenies were compared and analysed for biogeographical patterns using BioGeoBEARS and diversification rates using BAMM. Myrteae phylogeny presents strong statistical support for three major clades within the tribe: Australasian group, Myrtus group and Main Neotropical Lineage. Dating results from calibration using macrofossil are an average of 20 million years older and show an early Paleocene origin of Myrteae, against a mid-Eocene one from the pollen fossil calibration. Biogeographic analysis shows the origin of Myrteae in Zealandia in both calibration approaches, followed by a widespread distribution throughout the still-linked Gondwana continents and diversification of Neotropical endemic lineages by later vicariance. Best configuration shift indicates three points of acceleration in diversification rates, all of them occurring in the Main Neotropical Lineage. Based on the reconstructed topology, several new taxonomic placements were recovered, including: the relative position of Myrtus communis, the placement of the Blepharocalyx group, the absence of generic endemism in the Caribbean, and the paraphyletism of the former Pimenta group. Distinct calibration approaches affect biogeography interpretation, increasing the number of necessary long distance dispersal events in the topology with older nodes. It is hypothesised that biological intrinsic factors such as modifications of embryo type and polyploidy might have played a role in accelerating shifts of diversification rates in Neotropical lineages. Future perspectives include formal subtribal classification, standardization of fossil calibration approaches and better links between diversification shifts and trait evolution.