Flooding-Associated Soft Rot of Sweetpotato Storage Roots Caused by Distinct Clostridium Isolates.

Flooding of sweetpotatoes in the field leads to development of soft rot on the storage roots while they remain submerged or on subsequent harvest and storage. Incidences of flooding after periods of intense rainy weather are on the rise in the southeastern United States, which is home to the majority of sweetpotato production in the nation. In an effort to characterize the causative agent(s) of this devastating disease, here we describe two distinct bacterial strains isolated from soft-rotted sweetpotato storage roots retrieved from an intentionally flooded field. Both of these anaerobic spore-forming isolates were identified as members of the genus Clostridium based on sequence similarity of multiple housekeeping genes, and both were confirmed to cause soft rot disease on sweetpotato and other vegetable crops. Despite these common features, the isolates were distinguishable by several phenotypic and biochemical properties, and phylogenetic analysis placed them in separate well-supported clades within the genus. Overall, our results demonstrate that multiple plant-pathogenic Clostridium species can cause soft rot disease on sweetpotato and suggest that a variety of other plant hosts may also be susceptible.

Genetic Variance Partitioning and Genome-Wide Prediction with Allele Dosage Information in Autotetraploid Potato.

As one of the world's most important food crops, the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) has spurred innovation in autotetraploid genetics, including in the use of SNP arrays to determine allele dosage at thousands of markers. By combining genotype and pedigree information with phenotype data for economically important traits, the objectives of this study were to (1) partition the genetic variance into additive vs. nonadditive components, and (2) determine the accuracy of genome-wide prediction. Between 2012 and 2017, a training population of 571 clones was evaluated for total yield, specific gravity, and chip fry color. Genomic covariance matrices for additive (G), digenic dominant (D), and additive × additive epistatic (G#G) effects were calculated using 3895 markers, and the numerator relationship matrix (A) was calculated from a 13-generation pedigree. Based on model fit and prediction accuracy, mixed model analysis with G was superior to A for yield and fry color but not specific gravity. The amount of additive genetic variance captured by markers was 20% of the total genetic variance for specific gravity, compared to 45% for yield and fry color. Within the training population, including nonadditive effects improved accuracy and/or bias for all three traits when predicting total genotypic value. When six F1 populations were used for validation, prediction accuracy ranged from 0.06 to 0.63 and was consistently lower (0.13 on average) without allele dosage information. We conclude that genome-wide prediction is feasible in potato and that it will improve selection for breeding value given the substantial amount of nonadditive genetic variance in elite germplasm.

Mapping Loci That Control Tuber and Foliar Symptoms Caused by PVY in Autotetraploid Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).

Potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD) is a tuber deformity associated with infection by the tuber necrotic strain of Potato virus Y (PVYNTN). PTNRD negatively impacts tuber quality and marketability, and poses a serious threat to seed and commercial potato production worldwide. PVYNTN symptoms differ in the cultivars Waneta and Pike: Waneta expresses severe PTNRD and foliar mosaic with vein and leaf necrosis, whereas Pike does not express PTNRD and mosaic is the only foliar symptom. To map loci that influence tuber and foliar symptoms, 236 F1 progeny of a cross between Waneta and Pike were inoculated with PVYNTN isolate NY090029 and genotyped using 12,808 potato SNPs. Foliar symptom type and severity were monitored for 10 wk, while tubers were evaluated for PTNRD expression at harvest and again after 60 d in storage. Pairwise correlation analyses indicate a strong association between PTNRD and vein necrosis (τ = 0.4195). QTL analyses revealed major-effect QTL on chromosomes 4 and 5 for mosaic, 4 for PTNRD, and 5 for foliar necrosis symptoms. Locating QTL associated with PVY-related symptoms provides a foundation for breeders to develop markers that can be used to eliminate potato clones with undesirable phenotypes, e.g., those likely to develop PTNRD or to be symptomless carriers of PVY.

Infection of Sweetpotato by Fusarium solani and Macrophomina phaseolina Prior to Harvest.

The end rot disease complex, caused mainly by Fusarium solani and Macrophomina phaseolina, can be an important postharvest problem in sweetpotato. The disease develops a few weeks after storage roots are harvested and stored. Isolations attempted after harvest showed that the pathogens can be present inside the storage roots before symptoms appear. To determine how and when end rot pathogens enter sweetpotato storage roots, two greenhouse experiments were designed using tissue culture-derived plants free of F. solani and M. phaseolina. In one experiment, plants were grown in autoclaved soil, and 1 month after transplanting, plants were inoculated at the soil line with either noninfested toothpicks or toothpicks infested with each fungus alone or combined. In the other experiment, plants were grown in noninfested soil or in soil infested with each fungus alone or combined. F. solani and M. phaseolina were isolated from roots, storage roots, and plant stems below the soil line, at the soil line, and 5 cm above the soil line in both experiments. This suggests these fungi are capable of invading sweetpotato plants and storage roots from infested soil, and can systemically colonize the plant from infected plant propagation material.

A theoretical study of hydrogen complexes of the XH-pi type between propyne and HF, HCL or HCN.

The present manuscript reports a systematic investigation of the basis set dependence of some properties of hydrogen-bonded (pi type) complexes formed by propyne and a HX molecule, where X=F, Cl and CN. The calculations have been performed at Hartree-Fock, MP2 and B3LYP levels. Geometries, H-bond energies and vibrational have been considered. The more pronounced effects on the structural parameters of the isolated molecules, as a result of complexation, are verified on RCtriple bondC and HX bond lengths. As compared to double-zeta (6-31G**), triple-zeta (6-311G**) basis set leads to an increase of RCtriple bondC bond distance, at all three computational levels. In the case where diffuse functions are added to both hydrogen and 'heavy' atoms, the effect is more pronounced. The propyne-HX structural parameters are quite similar to the corresponding parameters of acetylene-HX complexes, at all levels. The largest difference is obtained for hydrogen bond distance, RH, with a smaller value for propyne-HX complex, indicating a stronger bond. Concerning the electronic properties, the results yield the following ordering for H-bond energies, DeltaE: propynecdots, three dots, centeredHF>propynecdots, three dots, centeredHCl>propynecdots, three dots, centeredHCN. It is also important to point out that the inclusion of BSSE and zero-point energies (ZPE) corrections cause significant changes on DeltaE. The smaller effect of ZPE is obtained for propynecdots, three dots, centeredHCN at HF/6-311++G** level, while the greatest difference is obtained at MP2/6-31G** level for propynecdots, three dots, centeredHF system. Concerning the IR vibrational it was obtained that larger shift can be associated with stronger hydrogen bonds. The more pronounced effect on the normal modes of the isolated molecule after the complexation is obtained for HX stretching frequency, which is shifted downward.