New, emerging and re-emerging fungal diseases on medicinal and aromatic plants in European domain

Plant diseases cause agricultural and economic loss and impact negatively on human and animal health through mycotoxins and allergens produced by them. They also have consequences for biodiversity conservation. The pathogens could be classified in five categories: new - detected within the last five years; emerging - have always been present in an area but have grown in importance over the years; re-emerging - have been previously controlled but are once more a major problem associated with chemical resistance or changes in management or cultivars; threatening - not reported or limited in distribution in Europe and chronic-spreading – known for longer than 20 years and causing increased concern. Diseases emerge or re-emerge due to changes in farming practices, development of new strains of the pathogen, climate change, introduction of the pathogen to new geographical locations, or introduction of more efficient pathogen vectors. During the last years emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are of special concern to researchers. Among all pathogens fungi are responsible for the greatest damage to plants in both agricultural and natural ecosystems. They represent over 70 % of all plant pathogens and over 30 % of plant EIDs. Surveys on fungal diseases of medicinal and aromatic plants have been carried out in the framework of several research projects between Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Poland in the last two decades. EIDs have been reported, either as novel pathogens or as familiar pathogens affecting new host species. The importance of the problem could be illustrated by such examples as some phytopathogenic fungi on Apiaceae and Lamiaceae hosts discussed in the present work

Phytotoxic polyketides produced by Phomopsis foeniculi, a strain isolated from diseased Bulgarian fennel

Recently, a new fungal disease caused by Diaporthe angelicae (anamorph Phomopsis foeniculi) has been found with increasingly frequency on fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) in Bulgaria. Using a bioassay-guided isolation and purification procedure, different metabolites were isolated from the fungal culture filtrates. They were identified by spectroscopic methods as nectriapyrone, a pentaketide monoterpenoid, and altersolanols A and J and macrosporin, three octaketides anthracenones. Leaf puncture bioassay was applied on detached tomato leaves to prove the phytotoxic activity of the fractions and of pure compounds. Nectriapyrone and altersolanols A and J showed a modulated phytotoxicity, while macrosporin was not toxic. Altersolanol A was the most active compound

Pepper as a target object of SEE-ERA.NET project

Pepper (Capsicum annuum var. annuum L.) is one of the most important and wide spread vegetables in the Balkan region. A great number of local populations with specific characteristics for shape, color, taste, biological value and type of use are grown in different Balkan countries together with the main commercial cultivars. Partially the old native forms are not within attention of the sort maintenance selection, but they are preserved in limited area and are valuable genetic resources. A SEE-ERA. NET project started in 2010 setting the task to investigate pepper as target species. The strategic objectives are: i) to collect, describe and explore the existing Capsicum biodiversity in the partner countries (Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia) related to valuable traits; ii) to create work and basic collections of local accessions and the respective database for more detailed and profound future collaborative investigations and breeding programs. Methods for description and maintenance of the collected material have been standardized in order to create a uniform description of existing local germplasm of pepper. First joint collecting expeditions have been carried out. Local expedition trips for expanding the national collections of old cultivars and domestic landraces have also been organized. Preparation of work and basic collections in the National Seed Genebank, Sadovo, Bulgaria, has started. The data will be publicly launched in the European Search Catalogue for Genetic Resources, EURISCO (www.eurisco.ecpgr.org). The data generated from this study, knowledge and collections will serve as a solid basis for effective preservation, management and exploitation of Balkan pepper germplasm biodiversity. The discovery of new sources of genetic variation and identification of accessions with valuable traits as pest resistance will be used in future pepper-breeding programs

Pepper Diseases in Balkan Region

One of the most important problems affecting pepper production in the Balkan peninsula is the occurrence of common pathogens causing severe diseases and epidemics resulting in reduced and compromised yield. Phytophthora capsici, Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Verticillium dahliae, Fusarium spp., Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, Xanthomonas vesicatoria, Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMV), Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), Potato virus Y (PVY) etc. are among the most devastating and widely distributed pathogens. This region is also characterized with endemic, emerging or newly introduced pathogens threatening pepper production. In the last years new pepper fungal pathogens (Phomopsis capsici and several Colletotrichum spp.) were found in Bulgaria with increasingly frequency. In 2010 a SEE-ERA. NET project started combining the research efforts of seven scientific institutions from five Balkan countries (Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia). The strategic objectives of the project are: i) to explore Balkan biodiversity of Capsicum spp. in order to extract biotic stress resistant germplasm; ii) to update knowledge about the most economically important and emerging pathogens on Capsicum in the Balkan region and to form pathogen collection; iii) to develop database, concerning the pepper pathogen occurrence in the mentioned regions; iv) to identify areas at differing pathogen risk in the involved Balkan countries and to define risks related to introduction of new pathogen biotypes by trading. Adequate knowledge for pathogens is essential for the management of the diseases, caused by them and for solving problems in sustainable and conventional agriculture. First joint collecting expeditions have been carried out. Pathogens have been isolated, identified and characterized mainly at species level. Collections have been created and properly preserved in related institutes for further investigations concerning the race and strain specificity of the saved pathogens and host-pathogen interaction