A global genetic analysis of herbarium specimens reveals the invasion dynamics of an introduced plant pathogen

An emerging fungal disease is spreading across the globe and affecting the blueberry industry

Powdery mildew is an economically important disease caused by c. 1000 different fungal species. Erysiphe vaccinii is an emerging powdery mildew species that is impacting the blueberry industry. Once confined to North America, E. vaccinii is now spreading rapidly across major blueberry-growing regions, including China, Morocco, Mexico, and the USA, threatening millions in losses. This study documents its recent global spread by analyzing both herbarium specimens, some over 150-yr-old, and fresh samples collected world-wide. Our findings were integrated into a 'living phylogeny' via T-BAS to simplify pathogen identification and enable rapid responses to new outbreaks. We identified 50 haplotypes, two primary introductions world-wide, and revealed a shift from a generalist to a specialist pathogen. This research provides insights into the complexities of host specialization and highlights the need to address this emerging global threat to blueberry production.

Colletotrichum Species Causing Glomerella Leaf Spot and Apple Bitter Rot in the Southeastern United States Exhibit Disparities in Relative Frequency, Morphological Phenotype, and Quinone Outside Inhibitor Sensitivity

Glomerella leaf spot (GLS), Glomerella fruit rot (GFR), and apple bitter rot (ABR), caused by Colletotrichum spp., are among the most devastating apple diseases in the southeastern United States. Although several species have been identified as causal pathogens of GLS, GFR, and ABR, their relative frequency and fungicide sensitivity status in the southeastern United States is unknown. In total, 381 Colletotrichum isolates were obtained from symptomatic leaves and fruit from 18 conventionally managed apple orchards and two baseline populations in western North Carolina and Georgia in 2016 and 2017. Multilocus DNA sequence analysis revealed that C. chrysophilum was the predominant cause of GLS and GFR and C. fioriniae was the causal agent of ABR. Baseline and commercial populations of Colletotrichum spp. were evaluated for sensitivity to pyraclostrobin and trifloxystrobin, and no statistical differences in sensitivity between the two species were observed for conidial germination. However, the effective concentration that inhibited growth by 50% values were significantly lower for C. fioriniae compared with C. chrysophilum for both fungicides regarding mycelial inhibition. Isolates recovered from commercial orchards revealed that five populations of C. chrysophilum and one population of C. fioriniae had reduced sensitivity to trifloxystrobin, and one C. fioriniae population had reduced sensitivity to pyraclostrobin via conidial germination assays. The cytb gene for 27 isolates of C. fioriniae, C. chrysophilum, and C. fructicola with different quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) sensitivities revealed the G143A mutation in a single isolate of C. chrysophilum with insensitivity to both fungicides. The results of these studies suggest that two Colletotrichum spp. predominantly cause GLS and ABR in the southeastern United States and that a reduction in sensitivity to some QoI fungicides may be responsible for control failures. This study also provides a basis for monitoring shifts in QoI sensitivity in Colletotrichum spp. causing disease on apple in the southeastern United States.

Genetic time traveling: sequencing old herbarium specimens, including the oldest herbarium specimen sequenced from kingdom Fungi, reveals the population structure of an agriculturally significant rust

Sequencing herbarium specimens can be instrumental in answering ecological, evolutionary, and taxonomic inquiries. We developed a protocol for sequencing herbarium specimens of rust fungi (Pucciniales) and proceeded to sequence specimens ranging from 4 to 211 yr old from five different genera. We then obtained sequences from an economically important biological control agent, Puccinia suaveolens, to highlight the potential of sequencing herbarium specimens in an ecological sense and to evaluate the following hypotheses: (1) The population structure of a plant pathogen changes over time, and (2) introduced pathogens are more diverse in their native range. Our efforts resulted in sequences from 87 herbarium specimens that revealed a high level of diversity with a population structure that exhibited spatial-temporal patterns. The specimens sequenced from Europe showed more diversity than the ones from North America, uncovering an invasion pattern likely related to its European native host in North America. Additionally, to the best of our knowledge, the specimen from France collected in c. 1811 is the oldest herbarium specimen sequenced from kingdom Fungi. In conclusion, sequencing old herbarium specimens is an important tool that can be extrapolated to better understand plant-microbe evolution and to evaluate old type specimens to solidify the taxonomy of plant pathogenic fungi.

Phylogeny and taxonomy of the genera of Erysiphaceae, part 1: Golovinomyces

Powdery mildews are a monophyletic group of obligate plant pathogenic fungi in the family Erysiphaceae. Powdery mildews are economically important in that they cause damage to many agriculturally significant crops and plants in ecologically important habitats. In this contribution, we introduce a new series of publications focusing on the phylogeny and taxonomy of this group, with an emphasis on specimens collected from North America. The first part of the series focuses on the genus Golovinomyces and includes a section detailing the powdery mildew species concept. We conducted analyses of Golovinomyces spp. with available rDNA sequence data from GenBank and supplemented the data set with rDNA (ITS, 28S, IGS) as well as protein-coding (GAPDH) data from 94 North American collections. Many of the species evaluated are included in phylogenetic and morphological analyses for the first time, including the American species G. americanus, G. brunneopunctatus, G. californicus, G. greeneanus, G. hydrophyllacearum, and G. sparsus. A special emphasis was placed on acquiring ex-type or ex-epitype sequences or presenting reference sequences for phylogenetic-taxonomic purposes. Three new species, G. eurybiarum, G. galiorum, and G. malvacearum, are described, and the new combinations G. fuegianus, G. mutisiae, and G. reginae are introduced. Ex-holotype sequences of Erysiphe sparsa (≡ G. sparsus) reveal that it should be reduced to synonymy with G. ambrosiae, and ex-epitype sequences of G. valerianae reveal that it should be reduced to synonymy with G. orontii. Multiple epitypes are designated with ex-epitype sequences.

Exploring the Emergence and Evolution of Plant Pathogenic Microbes Using Historical and Paleontological Sources

Biotechnological advances now permit broad exploration of past microbial communities preserved in diverse substrates. Despite biomolecular degradation, high-throughput sequencing of preserved materials can yield invaluable genomic and metagenomic data from the past. This line of research has expanded from its initial human- and animal-centric foci to include plant-associated microbes (viruses, archaea, bacteria, fungi, and oomycetes), for which historical, archaeological, and paleontological data illuminate past epidemics and evolutionary history. Genetic mechanisms underlying the acquisition of microbial pathogenicity, including hybridization, polyploidization, and horizontal gene transfer, can now be reconstructed, as can gene-for-gene coevolution with plant hosts. Epidemiological parameters, such as geographic origin and range expansion, can also be assessed. Building on published case studies with individual phytomicrobial taxa, the stage is now set for broader, community-wide studies of preserved plant microbiomes to strengthen mechanistic understanding of microbial interactions and plant disease emergence.