Diagnosis of quarantine organisms at the JKI in the National Reference Laboratory for organisms harmful to plants

Dem JKI wurde im April 2019 durch das Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL) die Funktion des nationalen Referenzlaboratoriums (NRL) für Schadorganismen der Pflanzen zugewiesen. Mit dieser Funktion des NRL für Deutschland sind bestimmte Zuständigkeiten und Aufgaben verbunden, die in der EU-Verordnung 2017/625 (EU, 2017) geregelt sind. Dazu gehören auch Referenzuntersuchungen bzw. die Diag­nose von Quarantäneschadorganismen (QSO). Das NRL stellt eine übergeordnete Einheit innerhalb des JKI dar. Durch insgesamt 14 Prüflabore der JKI-Institute für Pflanzenschutz in Ackerbau und Grünland (A), nationale und internationale Angelegenheiten der Pflanzengesundheit (AG), Epidemiologie und Pathogendiagnostik (EP), Pflanzenschutz in Gartenbau und Forst (GF), Pflanzenschutz in Obst- und Weinbau (OW) wird die Referenzfunktion bei der Diagnose zu verschiedensten (Quarantäne)-Schadorganismen der Pathogengruppen Bakterien, Insekten, Nematoden, Pilze (einschließlich Oomyceten), Phytoplasmen und Viren wahrgenommen.In April 2019, the JKI was officially designated as the Natio­nal Reference Laboratory (NRL) for organisms harmful to plants by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agri­culture (BMEL). This function as NRL for Germany is associated with certain responsibilities and tasks, which are specified in the EU Regulation 2017/625 (EU, 2017). This also includes reference tests and the diagnosis of quarantine pests, respectively. The NRL represents a super­ordinate unit inside JKI. A total of 14 test laboratories from different JKI institutes, namely for Plant Protection in Field Crops and Grassland (A), for National and International Plant Health (AG), for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics (EP), Plant Protection in Horti­culture and Forests (GF), and for Plant Protection in Fruit Crops and Viticulture (OW) are in charge to carry out a reference function in the diagnosis of (quarantine) pests in the pathogen groups of bacteria, fungi (including oomycetes), insects, nematodes, phytoplasma und viruses

Alnus glutinosa Threatened by Alder Phytophthora: A Histological Study of Roots

Alder dieback remains a major problem in European alder stands and its spread continues to threaten their existence. The causal agent of this disease is the so-called alder Phytophthora species complex, which includes the hybrid Phytophthora ×alni and its parental species P. uniformis and P. ×multiformis. Little is known about the survival of these Phytophthora species in alder. The aim of our investigations was to find out whether, and if so where, the pathogen survives. The subject of these studies was alder roots. Therefore, artificial infection studies and histological studies with P. ×alni and P. uniformis were carried out on seedlings of black alder (Alnus glutinosa). These histological studies revealed oogonia and oospores of P. ×alni and P. uniformis in different parts of the root tissue

Phylogenetic and morphological studies in Xylodon (Hymenochaetales, Basidiomycota) with the addition of four new species

Gefördert durch den Publikationsfonds der Universität Kasse

Xylodon lanatus complex and other additions to Xylodon

Peer reviewe

First report of Cryptostroma corticale on Aesculus hippocastanum causing sooty bark disease in Germany

Cryptostroma corticale is the causal agent of sooty bark disease, which was first described in the middle of the last century and has developed in recent years to a relevant threat for Acer spp. trees in Central Europe. Triggered by extreme heat and drought, this tree disease is becoming more and more important in the course of climate change. Acer pseudoplatanus is a particularly affected tree species, but the disease has also been observed on other Acer spp., and there is some indication that there are suitable hosts outside the Acer genus. In literature, Aesculus hippocastanum was mentioned twice to be a host, however, without any proof or details. With this study, we verify the assumption that A. hippocastanum is a host of C. corticale by morphological and phylogenetic analyses based on a case in Germany. Furthermore, we provide microscope pictures of microtome sections of the specimens, showing the spore production of C. corticale on A. hippocastanum

Impact of climate change on wood and woodworkers — Cryptostroma corticale\textit {Cryptostroma corticale} (sooty bark disease)

Climate changes have promoted an increased fungal infection of maple trees with $\textit {Cryptostroma corticale}$, the causative agent of sooty bark disease. The hosts of $\textit {C. corticale}$ are maples, and since the early 2000s the fungus has been appearing more frequently in European forests, due to the droughts and hot summers of recent years. Infestation by $\textit {C. corticale}$ discolors the wood and makes it unusable for further processing, which leads to considerable economic damage in the timber industry. Therefore, the occurrence and spread of sooty bark disease raise serious problems. In addition to forestry and economic problems, the conidiospores of $\textit {C. corticale}$ can also cause health problems in exposed wood workers and they can trigger hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). Since the spores, which are deposited over the entire area under the bark of infected trees, can spread during processing, exposed workers must take special precautions to protect themselves against exposure. If an occupational disease is nevertheless suspected following exposure to $\textit {C. corticale}$, valid diagnostics are required to confirm possible HP and derive appropriate therapies and exposure reduction or avoidance. Diagnosis of HP is based on several criteria, one of them is the detection of specific IgG in patient's serum against the potentially triggering antigens, in this case $\textit {C. corticale}$ antigens. To produce a diagnostic tool to measure $\textit {C. corticale}$ specific IgG, which is not commercially available so far, spores and mycelial material from ITS-sequenced strains of $\textit {C. corticale}$ was prepared and analyzed. These biochemically characterized extracts of spore and mycelial antigens were biotinylated and coupled to Streptavidin-ImmunoCAPs. To validate these diagnostic test tools the first step is to measure the concentration of $\textit {C. corticale}$ specific IgG in sera of healthy non-exposed and healthy exposed subjects to establish cut-off values. Suitable participants were recruited and the individual exposure to $\textit {C. corticale}$ and symptoms experienced during or after working with infected maple trees were recorded using questionnaires. Finally, diagnostic tools for serological testing in suspected cases of HP by $\textit {C. corticale}$ were created and evaluated. The following article provides recommendations for the treatment and disposal of infected damaged wood and for occupational health protection procedures. Secondly, the diagnosis of HP induced by exposure to $\textit {C. corticale}$ as an occupational disease is described including the verification of newly developed serological test tools for antigens of $\textit {C. corticale}$

Hyphodontia (Hymenochaetales, Basidiomycota) and similar taxa from Central Asia

Wood-inhabiting fungi are noteworthy components of woody ecosystems which are responsible for the decomposition and turnover of wood nutrients. While the diversity and ecology of these fungi in the temperate forests has been relatively well explored, little is known on diversity of these fungi in the arid and semi-arid forest ecosystems. This is the first study on diversity, distribution and ecology of the fungal genus Hyphodontia s.l. in the five countries of Central Asia viz., Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Altogether 11 species are confirmed for the region, among which the following six species are reported for the first time from Central Asia: Hyphodontia alutaria, H. pallidula, Kneiffiella alutacea, Lyomyces crustosus, L. erastii and L. sambuci. In addition to morphological evidence, the identity of three species is confirmed with phylogenetic analysis based on ITS nuclear ribosomal DNA region. The spectra of known hosts for many of the studied species were expanded. An annotated species list and geo-referenced distribution maps are provided as well as notes on taxonomy, ecology, and local, regional and global distribution. An identification key to the species of Hyphodontia s.l. recorded in arid and semi-arid regions of Central Asia is also provided.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author