Sclerotium Rot of Pulsatilla koreana Nakai Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii

Sclerotium rot on Pulsatilla koreana was observed in the exhibition field of Jinju Agriculture Technology Center in July 2013. The infected plants showed water-soaked, blighted and rotted symptoms. White mycelial mats spread over lesions, and then numerous sclerotia were formed on flower stalk and flower stem near the soil line. The sclerotia were globoid in shape, 1-3 mm in size and white to brown in color. The optimum temperature for mycelial growth and sclerotia formation on PDA was 30°C and the hyphal width was 4-8 μm. The typical clamp connections were observed in the hyphae of the fungus grown on PDA. For molecular identification, the complete ITS rDNA sequence of the causal fungus was sequenced and analyzed. On the basis of mycological characteristics, ITS rDNA sequence analysis, and pathogenicity to host plants, this fungus was identified as Sclerotium rolfsii Saccardo. This is the first report of sclerotium rot on Pulsatilla koreana caused by S. rolfsii in Korea

Characterization of the rcsA Gene from Pantoea sp. Strain PPE7 and Its Influence on Extracellular Polysaccharide Production and Virulence on Pleurotus eryngii

RcsA is a positive activator of extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) synthesis in the Enterobacteriaceae. The rcsA gene of the soft rot pathogen Pantoea sp. strain PPE7 in Pleurotus eryngii was cloned by PCR amplification, and its role in EPS synthesis and virulence was investigated. The RcsA protein contains 3 highly conserved domains, and the C-terminal end of the open reading frame shared significant amino acid homology to the helix-turn-helix DNA binding motif of bacterial activator proteins. The inactivation of rcsA by insertional mutagenesis created mutants that had decreased production of EPS compared to the wild-type strain and abolished the virulence of Pantoea sp. strain PPE7 in P. eryngii. The Pantoea sp. strain PPE7 rcsA gene was shown to strongly affect the formation of the disease symptoms of a mushroom pathogen and to act as the virulence factor to cause soft rot disease in P. eryngii