The Impact of Climate Variability on the Incidence of Phyllody Disease Of
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Turkish Journal of Field Crops 2013, 18(1), 101-108 THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY ON OCCURRENCE OF SESAME PHYLLODY AND SYMPTOMATOLOGY OF THE DISEASE IN A MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT M. Ilhan CAGIRGAN1*, Nalla MBAYE1,2, R. Soner SILME1, Nofou OUEDRAOGO1,3, Hasan TOPUZ1 1Antalya Mutation Project, Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Akdeniz University, Antalya, TURKEY 1,2Present address: Universite Cheikh Anta Diop, Faculte des Sciences et Techniques, Departement de Biologie Vegetale, Dakar-Fann, SENEGAL 1,3Present address: Institute for Environmental and Agricultural Research (INERA), Ouagadougou – 04 Centre, BURKINA FASO *Corresponding author: [email protected] Received: 22.04.2013 ABSTRACT Although climate change and variability is considered as an alerting situation and a big challenge to food security, we describe here a positive impact of it regarding disappearance of sesame phyllody in an unusually cool and rainy growing season of 2010 at West Mediterranean region of Turkey where the disease has been devastating last five years and it would occur at any rate in the same field since the start of sesame cultivation in 1995. Phyllody symptomatology and incidence were studied in three groups of plant material; i.e., (1) in a 2- year agronomic performance trial, (2) in the breeding nurseries (on the regenerated branches in the stubbles and unselected left-plants), and (3) in the M1 plant progenies (grown as M2 families beyond the commercial growing season for a training purpose). Unexpectedly, in 2010, there was no any single phyllody incidence (0%) in the first and second group material in comparison to the previous years, e.g., 6.0% in 2009). Although the incidence was nil in the third group material of M2 families until onset of capsules (sown very late), phyllody symptoms started to appear as capsules grew and reached at 3% at the physiologic maturity. Also, stubbles of cut plants and unselected-left plants in the field after harvest (especially of F1s with heterosis) grew new late branches like ratoon crop and developed phyllody in them, providing a good match between vectors and plant growth. Much of the impact of climate change and variability on sesame phyllody may be through the vectors of the disease and, thus, subject to the effects of fluctuating climate variables on their biology and population dynamics. To reveal the uniqueness of the year 2010 and its effect on the disappearance of the disease, the climate data clearly indicated a cool and rainy season and possibly a mismatch for the cycle of the vectors and crop growth. Three types of main symptoms which specify the phyllody disease were observed, i.e., `virescence`, `phyllody`, and `ploriferation (witches’ broom)`, but the latter was less-frequent. Also among several indirect symptoms such as stunted habitus, exudates, vivipary, and yellowing, we described here a new effect of the disease causing short filament, and thus pin-type flower. Finally climate change and variability may also offer some positive impact to exploit for the benefit of food security and such cases should be considered in the crop management tactics and strategies as well as in modeling studies aiming to forecast impact of climate variability. Key words: Climate change, disease, food security, indicum L., phytoplasmas, pin flower, strategy, variability, vectors INTRODUCTION Climate change and variability is considered as a big evapo-transpiration, elevated repeatability of floods and challenge to food security. As projected and partly droughts, and intrusion of salty water with the raise of sea experienced, the main impacts of climate change on crop level affecting coastal areas (Lagoda, 2011). As a production has been through fluctuations in temperatures response to these effects, new cultivation techniques with of minima and maxima, in rainfall patterns in amount, better adapted genotypes are adopted (Spencer 2011). spatial and temporal distributions, increased rates of Consequently, climate change has an effect on agricultural 101 production and farming practices over the globe, which Ahrens and Seemüller 1992). Phytoplasmas belong to the may lead also to a dramatic change in crop health. class Mollicutes gram positive (low-G+C) bacteria that lacks cell wall with single membrane (Weisburg et al. To cope with the expected impact of climate change 1989; Woese 1987; Hogenhout et al. 2008). Phytoplasmas and to reduce food insecurity, modeling is done to help cannot be cultured outside their hosts in cell-free artificial policy makers and to governments. Several models and culture media, which are phloem-limited (Doi et al. 1967) projections of climate change impacts on future crop and obligate symbionts of plants and insects. Affected production and food security losses from a given factor plants from disease cannot produce healthy seeds due to (e.g. a disease as in Evans et al. 2010) are available (Roos abnormal floral growth that cause direct yield loss in et al. 2011). However, there are uncertain factors in these sesame. models which may also hold unpredicted impacts such as interactions between abiotic and biotic stress factors. Insect vectors of phytoplasmas are classified in the Thus, these models require validation. And real case Order Hemiptera mostly leafhoppers, plant hoppers and situations should be taken into consideration by psyllids (Weintraub and Beanland 2006). Two different developing these models that the real effects of the insects, Circulifer (=Neoaliturus) haematoceps (Mulsant impacts would not be always negative as showcased in and Rey) and Orosius orientalis (Matsumura) this paper regarding phyllody disease of sesame. =albicinctus (Distant) were identified and reported as vectors of phyllody disease in Turkey (Baspinar et al. Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is one of the oldest 1993; Kersting 1993; Sertkaya et al. 2007) and Iran oilseed crops grown in the countries where hand labor is (Salehi and Izadpanah 1992; Esmailzadeh-Hosseini et al. inexpensive throughout the tropics and subtropics. Its 2007). In India and Israel sesame phyllody is transmitted seeds are rich in good quality of edible oil (50%), which is only by Orocius albicinctus (Kolte 1985; Klein 1977) but highly resistant to natural oxidation attributed to the Orosius cellulosus was identified in Upper Volta antioxidative activity of sesame lignans, which are (Desmidts and Laboucheix 1974). Apart from the insect available in sesame seeds. Oil soluble lignans, sesamin vectors, sesame phyllody can be transmitted by dodder and sesamolin, are further demonstrated to be of and graft inoculation. Vinca rosea is used as an effective remarkable antioxidative activity in vivo and functional indicator. It is widely believed that the disease is not characteristics of sesame seeds have increased the demand transmitted by seeds. Lately, sesame phyllody of sesame seed and caused a good liquidity of the crop phytoplasmas from Turkey were characterized both from globally. As a result, recently sesame production reached infected sesame plants and vector Orosius orientalis by at the level of 4.3 million tons from 7.9 million hectares PCR-RFLP and they grouped in 16SrVI which reference (FAO) with a gradual increase. Sesame is suitable for phytoplasma in this group is clover proliferation (Sertkaya various cropping systems either as a main or second crop et al. 2007). (Cagirgan 2001). But the major factors that limit its cultivation are seed shattering at maturity which requires Although different management practices can affect manual harvest making it difficult to manage large areas the appearance of the disease by mismatching vector and of land, indeterminate growth habit and susceptibility to plant growth cycle, it is difficult to apply. Control of the diseases (Ashri 1998; Cagirgan 2006; Cagirgan et al. disease by killing the vectors by insecticides may be 2009; Silme and Cagirgan 2010). effective to some extent. Treatment of infected plants with an antibiotic (Akhtar et al. 2009) might be another but Among the diseases, phyllody is one of the major ineffective possibility. Consequently identification of constraints of sesame production (Kolte, 1985), causing useful resistance sources to phyllody beyond the wild devastating yield losses in diverse low- and high-value relatives of sesame such as Sesamum alatum remains as an crops worldwide (Klein 1977; Salehi and Izadpanah 1992; important task of the sesame breeding program aiming at Kersting 1993; Nakashima et al. 1995; Al-Sakeiti et al. developing cultivars resistant to phyllody. Cagirgan 2005; Akhtar et al. 2009). The major symptoms of the (unpublished) observed nonoccurrence of phyllody disease are floral virescence, phyllody and proliferation. disease on true determinate mutants in his breeding Other symptoms which sometimes accompany the disease nurseries. The detailed studies on the nature of the are yellowing, cracking of seed capsules, germination of resistance in this material are underway by Dr Ozdemir of seeds in the capsules and formation of dark exudates on Adnan Menderes University and her team (personal the foliage. Abraham et al. (1977) noted that affected communication). plants become stunted and the floral parts being modified The aims of the study were (i) to showcase that in to leafy structures bearing no fruits and seeds causing climate variability can be of positive impact on the yield loss up to 33.9 per cent. nonoccurrence of a normally devastating vector-borne In Turkey, sesame phyllody disease was first reported disease,