Potential for Biocontrol of Monosporascus Root Rot/vine Decline Under Greenhouse Conditions using Hypovirulent Isolates of Monosporascus cannonballus |
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| Authors: | Jeffrey S Batten Karen-Beth G Scholthof Branko R Lovic Marvin E Miller Raymond D Martyn |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2132, USA;(2) Present address: Novartis Seeds, Inc., 21435 County Road 98, Woodland, CA 95655, USA;(3) Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Weslaco, TX 78596, USA;(4) Present address: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 1155 Lilly Hall of Life Sciences, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1155, USA |
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| Abstract: | Monosporascus root rot/vine decline (MRR/VD) causes root necrosis and severe stunting of muskmelon and watermelon plants in several countries around the world. MRR/VD is caused by the soilborne ascomycete fungus, Monosporascus cannonballus. Currently, there are few options available for control of MRR/VD. This research describes experiments to test the possibility of using naturally occurring M. cannonballus isolates containing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) for the biological control of MRR/VD. These isolates often develop a degenerate phenotype characterized by slow growth and reduced ascospore production. In addition, these degenerate isolates are hypovirulent on muskmelon. Plants co-inoculated with a hypovirulent, dsRNA+ isolate (Tx93-449+) and a virulent, dsRNA- isolate (Az90-33-) at an inoculum ratio of 10 :1 (hypovirulent:virulent) were indistinguishable from the uninoculated plants in greenhouse pathogenicity trials. In vitro infection assays using fluorescence microscopy on aniline-stained muskmelon roots suggested that although the hypovirulent dsRNA+ isolate Tx93-449+ penetrated and partially colonized roots of the seedlings, it was not as efficient in colonizing the roots as the virulent, dsRNA- isolate Az90-33-. While more extensive experiments are needed, these data suggest that hypovirulent dsRNA+ isolates of M. cannonballus have potential for development as biological control agents to reduce disease pressure associated with MRR/VD. |
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| Keywords: | Cucumis melo Citrullus lanatus dsRNA muskmelon mycovirus watermelon |
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