2/23/2012 Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, cause of Very few pathogens reported on mile-a-minute (1? rust fungus and 2-4? smut fungi prior to discovery anthracnose of mile-a-minute in Turkey, is a of C. gloeosporioides ) potential biological control agent of this weed in the U.S. D. K. Berner 1, C. A. Cavin 1, I. Erper 2, and B. Tunali 2 1USDA-ARS-Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit, Ft. Detrick, MD 2Phytopathology Division, Ondokuz Mayis University, Agricultural Faculty, Department of Plant Protection Samsun, Turkey Mile-a-minute Disease Exploration • May 15 to May 29, 2010 • Search area based on obscure report of P. perfoliata from the 1980s – In Turkey, the plant is present on the northern face of the Kaçkar range of mountains in north-eastern Turkey (Güner, 1984). – Güner A (1984) A new record for the flora of Turkey and a new sub species from Anatolia. Candollea 39 , 345-348 • Search area from Trabzon to Kaçkar mountains near Ardesen, Turkey Background • Tea-producing area of Turkey beginning in 1950s • Tea plant stocks and seeds imported from China • Mile-a-minute is not native to Turkey • Likely introduction with tea plant stocks/seeds • However, mile-a-minute is not invasive in Turkey • In fact, it is relatively rare • During the initial search period no mile-a-minute plants were found 1 2/23/2012 • Diseased plants collected on July 1, 2010 (more than 1 month after first exploration trips) in same area as first exploration • Collected along the Firtina River near Ardesen, Turkey by Dr. Ismail Erper, Plant Pathologist, Agriculture Faculty, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey • Disease introduced along with mile-a-minute? • C. gloeosporioides not reported on tea Original diseased material after arrival at FDWSRU quarantine The pathogen • Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) Penz. & Sacc. • Anamorph (asexual) Acervuli with setae • Facultative saprophyte • Pezizomycotina; Sordariomycetes; Glomerellales; Glomerellaceae Acervuli in leaf tissue • Teleomorph (sexual stage) is Glomerella cingulata [Stoneman] Spauld. & H. Schrenk but not observed with this isolate, or many others • Perhaps the most widely and safely used plant pathogen for Conidia biological control of weeds Typical salmon-colored colony on V8 juice agar Appressoria 2 2/23/2012 The pathogen continued Greenhouse inoculations •Many highly specific special forms ( formae speciales, f. sp.) •Most famous is C. gloeosporioides f. sp. aeschynomene • Conidia from 14-day-old pure cultures •Active ingredient in commercial mycoherbicide Lockdown® • Spray-inoculated, in an aqueous suspension of 1.0 × 10 6 •Control of northern jointvetch (Aeschynomene virginica L.) in rice conidia ml -1 • In commercial use, by one name or another, i.e., Collego, since 1980s • Healthy stems and leaves of nine ca. 30-day-old mile-a-minute • Weeds controlled by other formae speciales include: plants produced from cuttings • Miconia calvescens (Killgore et al. 1999), • Inoculum sprayed on plants until runoff •Malva pusilla and Abutilon theophrasti (Mortensen 1988; Mortensen and Makowski, 1997), • Plants placed in a dew chamber at 25° C for 16 h with no •Clidemia hirta (Trujillo et al. 1986), lighting •Jussiae decurrens (Boyette et al. 1979), • Transferred to a 20-25 °C greenhouse with supplemental •Cuscuta spp. (Cartwright and Templeton 1989) lighting by 400 w sodium vapor lights for 14 h day length •Salsola tragus (Berner, et al., 2009) • Lesions developed on all inoculated plants after 7 days •Dispersal in nature is, like other C. gloeosporioides, likely by rain • C. gloeosporioides re-isolated from all inoculated plants splash of conidia The disease Species of Polygonaceae in FDWSRU seed collection for initial host-range tests Aconogonon divaricatum Bistorta bistortoides Brunnichia ovate Eriogonum umbellatum Fagopyrum esculentum Fagopyrum tataricum Fallopia convolvulus Fallopia japonica Oxytheca perfoliata Persicaria maculosa Persicaria sagittata Polygonum arenastrum Polygonum aviculare Rheum rhabarbarum Rheum rhaponticum Rheum x hybridum Rumex acetosella Rumex crispus Rumex venosus Flowers 3.