Dothistroma Needle Blight: an Emerging Epidemic Caused by Dothistroma Septosporum in Colombia
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Plant Pathology (2015) Doi: 10.1111/ppa.12389 Dothistroma needle blight: an emerging epidemic caused by Dothistroma septosporum in Colombia C. A. Rodasa, M. J. Wingfieldb, G. M. Granadosc and I. Barnesb* aForestry Health Protection Programme, Smurfit Kappa Colombia, Calle 15 # 18-109, Yumbo, Colombia; bDepartment of Genetics, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria (UP), Pretoria 0002, and cDepartment of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, FABI, UP, Pretoria 0002, South Africa Plantation forestry in Colombia is based mainly on non-native species of Pinus and Eucalyptus. Since 2008, a disease with symptoms similar to those of dothistroma needle blight (DNB) has been found affecting large areas planted to Pi- nus spp. The aim of this study was to identify the causal pathogen as well as to document the levels of disease inci- dence and severity. Isolates from each of three forestry zones, collected from different host species, were compared based on rDNA sequence of the ITS regions. These were conclusively identified as Dothistroma septosporum, one of two Dothistroma spp. known to cause DNB. Susceptibility was greatest on low elevation Pinus tecunumanii followed by Pinus kesiya and Pinus oocarpa. Pinus maximinoi and high elevation P. tecunumanii showed tolerance to D. septo- sporum. The disease incidence in the different zones varied significantly with the North zone being the most severely affected. This constitutes the first report of disease distribution and susceptibility of hosts, as well as the first consider- ation of the relative importance of D. septosporum in Colombia. Keywords: DNA-based diagnostic, Dothistroma septosporum, pathogenicity, Pinus spp. Introduction Needle pathogens that have been reported in Colombia include Lecanosticta acicola, Meloderma desmazierii and Plantation forestry in Colombia is based mainly on non- Dothistroma septosporum (Gibson, 1979, 1980; Ivory, native species of Pinus and Eucalyptus. Collectively, 1987). Gibson (1980) suggested that M. desmazierii, these species make up approximately 327 000 ha of found on Pinus radiata and P. patula, would not be of plantations (MADR (Ministry of Agriculture & Rural any concern in pine plantations in Colombia. However, Development), 2010) that provide the raw material for Gibson (1980) did warn that the new discovery of L. ac- pulp and solid timber products (MADR (Ministry of icola on Pinus elliottii, P. radiata and P. patula in Agriculture & Rural Development), 2006). Early planta- Colombia might pose a significant threat to southern tions of Pinus spp. were largely composed of Pinus patu- hemisphere pine plantations. This was a valid concern la, but in recent years various other species, especially considering the extensive disease epidemics that a similar Pinus tecunumanii and Pinus maximinoi, have been needle pathogen, D. septosporum, was causing in the planted in order to match species more appropriately to southern hemisphere, especially in areas such as Chile the variable sites and altitudes found in the country. and New Zealand (Alzamora et al., 2004; Bulman et al., Plantations of Pinus spp. in Colombia have been chal- 2008). lenged by a number of native insect defoliating pests Colombia was included in the distribution list of coun- (Velez Angel, 1974; Wiesner & Madrigal, 1983; Mackay tries where D. septosporum occurs (Ivory, 1987), but & Mackay, 1986; Madrigal & Abril, 1994; Rodas, there is no supporting information as to where it was 1994) and a few diseases. In 1984 a severe infection found or on what host it occurred. In addition, this caused by Diplodia sapinea (syn. Sphaeropsis sapinea) report was made before it was accepted that two mor- was recorded in P. patula plantations in different areas phologically similar species, Dothistroma pini and in Colombia (Hoyos, 1989; Rodas & Osorio, 2008). D. septosporum, cause the same needle blight symptoms, More recently, a diverse suite of pathogens such as Calo- collectively referred to as dothistroma needle blight nectria spp. (Lombard et al., 2009) and Fusarium circin- (DNB) or red band needle blight (Barnes et al., 2004). atum (Steenkamp et al., 2012) has affected Pinus The presence of D. septosporum in Colombia has thus plantations. These problems have grown in severity and never been unequivocally confirmed. this has resulted in an increasingly large area being In 2008 a new and serious needle disease problem planted with alternative, disease-tolerant species. appeared in the central zone of Colombian pine planta- tions. Symptoms of the disease closely resembled those of DNB. Within 2 years, the needle blight disease had *E-mail: [email protected] spread throughout all three forestry zones in Colombia ª 2015 British Society for Plant Pathology 1 2 C. A. Rodas et al. on the non-native P. tecunumanii. Importantly, this is a ferent geographic zones (North, Central and South) and 14 tree species relatively new to forestry outside its native farms located in the Departments of Caldas, Risaralda, Valle del range, and for which there is little knowledge of diseases Cauca and Cauca (Fig. 1). The total area surveyed was approxi- and insect pests that affect it. mately 26 730 ha and consisted of plantations of Pinus kesiya, The aims of this study were to establish the distribu- P. maximinoi, P. oocarpa, P. patula, and low elevation (LE) and high elevation (HE) forms of P. tecunumanii. These two tion and host range of the new and serious needle disease forms can be distinguished by RAPD analyses and differ slightly in Colombia and to confirm the identity of the pathogen in morphology (Dvorak et al., 2000). In their native environ- based on DNA sequence data. A further aim was to ment in Central America, the LE form occurs between 450 and determine the susceptibility of different Pinus species and 1500 m a.s.l. and the HE form between 1500 and 2900 m a.s.l. provenances of P. tecunumanii based on disease inci- (Dvorak et al., 2000). In Colombia the optimal elevation for LE dence and severity. The impact of the disease on P. tecu- growth is between 1400 and 1900 m a.s.l.; for HE growth, the numanii in intensively managed plantations was also optimum is between 1900 and 2500 m a.s.l. assessed. Pathogen identification Materials and methods Sample collection, isolation and morphological characterization Disease distribution and host range To verify the identity of the pathogen responsible for the disease The extent of the needle blight epidemic in Colombia, mainly symptoms in the surveyed areas, infected needles bearing distinct on P. tecunumanii, was assessed from field surveys conducted conidiomata were collected from diseased trees in each of the throughout all the plantation areas (Fig. 1) belonging to Smurfit three forestry zones. Needles were placed in paper envelopes ° Kappa Colombia (SKC). Initial observations commenced in and stored at 4 C in preparation for subsequent laboratory 2008 and continued until 2012. The surveys covered three dif- studies. 2 North zone Caldas 5 Risaralda 6 North zone: Farms Central zone - Yanahuanca - Argentina - Campania 1 - Tesalia - Cedral Valle del Cauca - Angela Maria Graminea Central zone: Farms Figure 1 Geographic distribution of - Alaska 4 dothistroma needle blight (DNB) outbreaks in - Esmeralda Cauca Colombia in the North (red dots), Central - La Concha - Samaria 3 (blue dots) and South zones (green dots), on - Volconda South zone Pinus tecunumanii. The numbers represent - Union_B the chronological order in which DNB was South zone: Farms reported at the various locations. The black - Union_S dot represents the location of the Graminea - D. Miguel farm where the P. tecunumanii susceptibility trial was conducted. Plant Pathology (2015) Dothistroma septosporum in Colombia 3 Needles were prepared for isolations by first surface-disinfest- cabH2) of P. maximinoi and two provenances (PKcalvH1, ing them in 0Á2% sodium hypochlorite for 1 min, rinsing with PKcalvH2) of P. kesiya. distilled water and blotting them dry with sterile paper towels. The disease incidence was assessed by dividing the total num- Using a Nikon SMZ645 stereoscope, fruiting structures were ber of affected trees by the total number of planted trees for excised from the needles and placed on malt extract agar (MEA; each of the P. tecunumanii LE progenies (972 trees representing Merck), 1Á5% (w/v) agar (Oxoid), supplemented with 1% lactic 27 progenies) as well as for the additional treatments (288 trees acid, and incubated for 15 days at 24°C. representing eight provenances). Morphological characteristics of the fungus were observed The disease severity per tree was calculated by partitioning the using a Nikon Eclipse E200 microscope. Microscope slides were foliar area of the tree into equal quarters. Each quarter was then prepared by fixing conidiomata-bearing conidia, excised from assessed individually and the relative level of disease present in diseased needles, with 1% lactic acid. that quarter of the tree was recorded as a percentage of the total crown (Fig. 2). To accommodate for the difference in conical DNA sequence-based comparisons area represented by each quarter, the data collected were then Species identifications were made for several cultures isolated statistically reweighted so that the bottom quarter of the tree from needles collected from each of the three forestry zones and would correspond to maximum 40% of the total area of tree from different hosts. Mycelium was scraped from the surface of infected, the second quarter represented 30%, the third 20%, the cultures on agar, freeze-dried and crushed using the MM301 and the crown 10%. The weighted percentage of each quarter mixer mill (Retsch) for 3 min at 1/30 mHz. The crushed myce- was then summed up to obtain the overall severity per tree. lium was heated to 65°C in 800 lL DEB buffer (200 mM Tris- A total of six evaluations for disease incidence and severity HCl pH 8Á0, 250 mM NaCl, 25 mM EDTA, 0Á5% SDS) for 1 h were performed in the Graminea trial in Nov 2010, Feb 2011, and DNA was extracted using the method described by Barnes May 2011, Aug 2011, Nov 2011 and May 2012.