Growth Manipulation of Slicer Carrots by Foliar-applied Gibberellic Acid in New York

New York, USA, is a regional hub for processing carrot (Daucus carota ssp. sativus) production and Nantes-type cultivars are preferred for slicing. Diameter is critical in carrots for slicing, with roots larger than 1 5/8 inch being rejected. The potential to manipulate carrot root diameter and hence suitability for slicing by foliar-applied gibberellic acid (GA3) was tested in four small plot replicated field trials over 3 years (2020, 2021, and 2022). In the most efficacious treatments, GA3 resulted in a 23.1% to 135.4% increase in foliar biomass at the expense of root weight and diameter. Increases in foliar biomass are beneficial to facilitate top-pulling harvest. Reductions in root diameter from GA3 ranged from 9.5% to 19.6%, and in 2020 and 2022, increased the proportion of roots suitable for slicing. GA3 did not significantly affect root length and number. In two 2021 trials, GA3 increased color intensity quantified by a colorimeter, but this change was not noticeable to the naked eye. The optimal number of GA3 applications was seasonally dependent, ranging from a single application at 107 to 108 days after planting (DAP) in 2021, to two applications at 74 + 92 DAP in 2022. Three GA3 applications per season or late applications (up to 14 days prior to harvest) were not beneficial

Genetic structure of Cercospora beticola populations on Beta vulgaris in New York and Hawaii

Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), caused by Cercospora beticola, is a major disease of Beta vulgaris worldwide. No sexual stage is known for C. beticola but in its asexual form it overwinters on infected plant debris as pseudostromata, and travels short distances by rain splash-dispersed conidiospores. Cercospora beticola infects a broad range of host species and may be seedborne. The relative contribution of these inoculum sources to CLS epidemics on table beet is not well understood. Pathogen isolates collected from table beet, Swiss chard and common lambsquarters in mixed-cropping farms and monoculture fields in New York and Hawaii, USA, were genotyped (n = 600) using 12 microsatellite markers. All isolates from CLS symptoms on lambsquarters were identified as C. chenopodii. Sympatric populations of C. beticola derived from Swiss chard and table beet were not genetically differentiated. Results suggested that local (within field) inoculum sources may be responsible for the initiation of CLS epidemics in mixed-cropping farms, whereas external sources of inoculum may be contributing to CLS epidemics in the monoculture fields in New York. New multiplex PCR assays were developed for mating-type determination for C. beticola. Implications of these findings for disease management are discussed

Minimizing Crop Damage Through Understanding Relationships Between Pyrethrum Phenology and Ray Blight Disease Severity

The most damaging foliar disease of pyrethrum in Australia is ray blight caused by Stagonosporopsis tanaceti. The probability of growers incurring economic losses caused by this disease has been substantially reduced by the implementation of a prophylactically applied spring fungicide program. This has been traditionally initiated when 50% of the stems have reached between 5 and 10 cm in height. Data collected on the emergence of stems from semidormant plants over late winter from 27 fields across northern Tasmania from 2009 to 2011 were used to develop a degree-day model to assist with initiation of the fungicide program. Temporal changes in cumulative proportion of plants with elongated stems were well described by a logistic growth model (R² ≥ 0.97 across all fields). These models were used to calculate the number of days until 50% of the sampling units had at least one elongated stem for the calculation of simple degree-days, assuming a nominal biofix date of the austral winter solstice. The median date for 50% stem elongation was estimated as 30 August in these data sets. Mean error and root mean square error of degree-day models were minimized when a base of 0°C was selected. Mixed-model analysis found prediction errors to be significantly affected by geographic region, requiring the use of scalar correction factors for specific production regions. In the Western region, 50% stem emergence was predicted at 590.3 degree-days (mean prediction error = 0.7 days), compared with 644.6 (mean prediction error = 7.7 days) in the Coastal region and 684.7 (mean prediction error = 0.7 days) degree-days in the Inland region. The importance of fungicide timing for initiation of the spring disease management program in minimizing losses (expressed as percent disease control in October) was also quantified. This relationship was best explained by a split-line regression with a significant break-point of 513.8 degree-days, which corresponded to 10.7% of sampling units with elongated stems. Overall, this research indicated that disease management may be improved by applying the first fungicide of the program substantially earlier in phenological development of the stems than currently recommended

Estimation of Pyrethrum Flower Number Using Digital Imagery

Flower number is the primary determinant of yield in pyrethrum (Tanacetum cineariifolium). Traditional estimates of flower numbers use physical harvesting of flowers, which is time consuming, destructive, and complicated. The precision of flower number estimates may be highly influenced by spatial heterogeneity of plant density and vigor. Here, we examined the potential for digital image analysis to enable rapid, nondestructive assessment of flower number. This technique involved removal of pixels with color profiles not typical of the disc florets of pyrethrum. Particle counting was then performed using defined size and shape parameters to estimate flower numbers. Estimates of flower number based on image analyses were correlated with physical harvests of flowers, with estimates representing about an average of 32% of total flower numbers present within a sampling unit. This relationship was consistent across all observed flower densities. Covariate analysis indicated that occurrences of crop lodging and over mature flower canopies had significant, detrimental effects on system predictions. Pyrethrum flowers were spatially aggregated within fields with the degree of aggregation greatest at the lowest flower densities. Based on modeled flower distributions, eight quadrats (0.49-m² sampling unit) were sufficient to achieve a cv of 0.1 in a 600-m² plot area in all but the lowest flower densities. The utility of this approach for biomass assessment in pyrethrum and other Compositae is discussed.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the American Society for Horticultural Science and can be found at: http://horttech.ashspublications.org/Keywords: Tanacetum cinerariifolium, spatial variability, remote sensing, image analysis, yield estimation, sample siz

Spatiotemporal Characterization of Sclerotinia Crown Rot Epidemics in Pyrethrum

Sclerotinia crown rot, caused by Sclerotinia minor and S. sclerotiorum, is a disease of pyrethrum in Australia that may cause substantial decline in plant density. The spatiotemporal characteristics of the disease were quantified in 14 fields during three growing seasons. Fitting the binary power law to disease incidence provided slope (b = 1.063) and intercept (ln(A[subscript p]) = 0.669) estimates significantly (P ≤ 0.0001) greater than 1 and 0, respectively, indicating spatial aggregation at the sampling unit scale that was dependent upon disease incidence. Covariate analyses indicated that application of fungicides did not significantly influence these estimates. Spatial autocorrelation and spatial analysis by distance indices indicated that spatial aggregation above the sampling unit scale was limited to 20 and 17% of transects analyzed, respectively. The range of significant aggregation was limited primarily to neighboring sampling units only. Simple temporal disease models failed to adequately describe disease progress, due to a decline in disease incidence in spring. The relationships between disease incidence at the scales of individual plants within quadrats and quadrats within a field was modeled using four predictors of sample size. The choice of the specific incidence–incidence relationship influenced the classification of disease incidence as greater than or less than 2% of plants, a provisional commercial threshold for fungicide application. Together, these studies indicated that epidemics of Sclerotinia crown rot were dominated by small-scale aggregation of disease. Larger scale patterns of diseased plants, when present, were associated with severe disease outbreaks. The spatial and temporal analyses were suggestive of disease epidemics being associated with localized primary inoculum and other factors that favor disease development at a small scale

Changes in Distribution and Frequency of Fungi Associated With a Foliar Disease Complex of Pyrethrum in Australia

In Australia, pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium) is affected by a foliar disease complex that can substantially reduce green leaf area and yield. Historically, the most important foliar disease of pyrethrum in Australia has been ray blight, caused by Stagonosporopsis tanaceti, and other fungi generally of minor importance. Temporal fluctuations in the frequency of fungi associated with foliar disease were quantified in each of 83 fields in northern Tasmania, Australia, during 2012 and 2013. Sampling was conducted throughout winter (April to July), spring (August to September), and summer (November) representing different phenological stages. Microsphaeropsis tanaceti, the cause of tan spot, was the pathogen most prevalent and isolated at the highest frequency, irrespective of sampling period. The next most common species was S. tanaceti, whose isolation frequency was low in winter and increased in spring and summer. Known pathogens of pyrethrum, Alternaria tenuissima, Colletotrichum tanaceti, and Stemphylium botryosum were recovered sporadically and at low frequency. Two species of potential importance, Paraphoma chrysanthemicola and Itersonilia perplexans, were also found at low frequency. This finding suggests a substantial shift in the dominant pathogen associated with foliar disease, from S. tanaceti to M. tanaceti, and coincides with an increase in defoliation severity in winter, and control failures of the spring fungicide program. Factors associated with this finding were also investigated. Sensitivity of M. tanaceti and S. tanaceti populations to the fungicides boscalid and cyprodinil collected prior to and following disease control failures in the field were tested under in vitro conditions. A high proportion (60%) of the M. tanaceti isolates obtained from fields in which no response to the spring fungicide program was found were insensitive to 50 µg a.i./ml boscalid. This represented a 4.2-fold increase in the frequency of this phenotype within the M. tanaceti population over 2 years. No shifts in sensitivities to cyprodinil of M. tanaceti and S. tanaceti, or S. tanaceti to boscalid, were observed. Considering the increase in defoliation severity over winter, the benefits of applying fungicides in autumn, in addition to the commercial standard (spring only), were quantified in 14 individual field trials conducted in 2011 and 2012. Mixed-model analysis suggested fungicide application in autumn may improve pyrethrum growth during late winter and early spring, although effects on defoliation and yield were minimal. The increasing prevalence and isolation frequency of M. tanaceti and boscalid resistance within the population is of concern and highlights the urgent need for adoption of nonchemical methods for disease management in Australian pyrethrum fields.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by American Phytopathological Society and can be found at: http://apsjournals.apsnet.org/loi/pdi

Carpogenic germination of sclerotia of Sclerotinia minor and ascosporic infection of pyrethrum flowers

Carpogenic germination of sclerotia and infection of flowers by ascospores of Sclerotinia minor is rare and seldom documented in most hosts. During 2007–2009, S. minor isolates were obtained from surface-sterilized pyrethrum flowers collected from fields in Australia. The isolation frequency of S. minor from flowers in 2007, 2008 and 2009 was 15.8%, 5% and 1.4%, respectively. During these years, the prevalence of S. minor in flowers amongst pyrethrum fields varied between 10.3% and 60%. Sclerotia with apothecia, consistent in size with S. minor, were collected in one field. Colonies from individual ascospores from this isolate were identified as S. minor. A subsample of 10 S. minor isolates was selected for further studies. Phylogenetic analysis based on the internal transcribed spacer region grouped these isolates with S. minor, and distinct from published sequences of other Sclerotinia spp. Species-specific primers developed previously to differentiate the four major Sclerotinia spp. (S. sclerotiorum, S. minor, S. homoeocarpa and S. trifoliorum) were used to confirm identity. Of the 10 S. minor isolates, eight were able to carpogenically germinate in vitro. Pathogenicity of S. minor to flowers was confirmed in the greenhouse using ascospores. This study is one of the few instances documenting the ability of S. minor to infect floral tissues and the first documentation of S. minor causing flower disease of pyrethrum. These findings serve as a scaffold for further investigations into the mechanisms of flower infection by S. minor and have implications for the management of the Sclerotinia disease complex affecting pyrethrum in Australia.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The article is copyrighted by Canadian Phytopathological Society (Société Canadienne de Phytopathologie) and published by Taylor & Francis. It can be found at: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tcjp20/currentKeywords: pyrethrum, Sclerotinia flower blight, Sclerotinia minor, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, carpogenic germinationKeywords: pyrethrum, Sclerotinia flower blight, Sclerotinia minor, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, carpogenic germinatio

A global perspective on the trophic geography of sharks

Sharks are a diverse group of mobile predators that forage across varied spatial scales and have the potential to influence food web dynamics. The ecological consequences of recent declines in shark biomass may extend across broader geographic ranges if shark taxa display common behavioural traits. By tracking the original site of photosynthetic fixation of carbon atoms that were ultimately assimilated into muscle tissues of 5,394 sharks from 114 species, we identify globally consistent biogeographic traits in trophic interactions between sharks found in different habitats. We show that populations of shelf-dwelling sharks derive a substantial proportion of their carbon from regional pelagic sources, but contain individuals that forage within additional isotopically diverse local food webs, such as those supported by terrestrial plant sources, benthic production and macrophytes. In contrast, oceanic sharks seem to use carbon derived from between 30° and 50° of latitude. Global-scale compilations of stable isotope data combined with biogeochemical modelling generate hypotheses regarding animal behaviours that can be tested with other methodological approaches.This research was conducted as part of C.S.B.’s Ph.D dissertation, which was funded by the University of Southampton and NERC (NE/L50161X/1), and through a NERC Grant-in-Kind from the Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility (LSMSF; EK267-03/16). We thank A. Bates, D. Sims, F. Neat, R. McGill and J. Newton for their analytical contributions and comments on the manuscripts.Peer reviewe

Draft genome sequence of Annulohypoxylon stygium, Aspergillus mulundensis, Berkeleyomyces basicola (syn. Thielaviopsis basicola), Ceratocystis smalleyi, two Cercospora beticola strains, Coleophoma cylindrospora, Fusarium fracticaudum, Phialophora cf. hyalina, and Morchella septimelata

Draft genomes of the species Annulohypoxylon stygium, Aspergillus mulundensis, Berkeleyomyces basicola (syn. Thielaviopsis basicola), Ceratocystis smalleyi, two Cercospora beticola strains, Coleophoma cylindrospora, Fusarium fracticaudum, Phialophora cf. hyalina and Morchella septimelata are presented. Both mating types (MAT1-1 and MAT1-2) of Cercospora beticola are included. Two strains of Coleophoma cylindrospora that produce sulfated homotyrosine echinocandin variants, FR209602, FR220897 and FR220899 are presented. The sequencing of Aspergillus mulundensis, Coleophoma cylindrospora and Phialophora cf. hyalina has enabled mapping of the gene clusters encoding the chemical diversity from the echinocandin pathways, providing data that reveals the complexity of secondary metabolism in these different species. Overall these genomes provide a valuable resource for understanding the molecular processes underlying pathogenicity (in some cases), biology and toxin production of these economically important fungi

Challenges and Prospects for Building Resilient Disease Management Strategies and Tactics for the New York Table Beet Industry

The New York table beet industry is expanding and has unique challenges to minimize crop loss in both conventional and organic production. Diseases may reduce plant population density and increase heterogeneity in a stand, reduce the duration of time foliage is healthy, and decrease the yield of marketable roots. Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn and Pythiumultimum Trow are dominant in the pathogen complex affecting crop stand and root health. Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) caused by the fungus, Cercospora beticola Sacc., is a highly destructive disease affecting foliar health. In conventional table beet production, fungicides are applied in-furrow and at emergence for early season and root disease control, and applied to foliage periodically thereafter for foliar disease control. Resistance within C. beticola populations to single-site mode-of-action fungicides poses the most significant threat to the resilience of conventional disease management. An integrated approach to reduce pesticide application when not economically warranted (i.e., a false positive) is urgently required. For foliar disease, improved scheduling of fungicides may reduce usage without loss of disease control. For soilborne diseases, pre-plant quantification of soilborne inoculum may support the selection of fields with lower inoculum densities to minimize risk of early season and root disease. For organic production, some approved products have moderate efficacy for foliar disease control, but strategies to reduce inoculum and select fields at lowest risk of disease will be paramount. Crop rotation has shown promise for disease management, but broad host range of several of the major soilborne pathogens limits the utility of this method in the production region. Enhanced knowledge of cultivar susceptibility to local populations of fungal pathogens responsible for foliar and root diseases is paramount, and adoption of commercially acceptable cultivars with improved resistance to CLS and Rhizoctonia crown and root rot has potential to transform disease management strategies for the New York table beet industry