Deciphering the biology of Cryptophyllachora eurasiatica gen. et sp. nov., an often cryptic pathogen of an allergenic weed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia

A little known, unculturable ascomycete, referred to as Phyllachora ambrosiae, can destroy the inflorescences of Ambrosia artemisiifolia, an invasive agricultural weed and producer of highly allergenic pollen. The fungus often remains undetectable in ragweed populations. This work was conducted to understand its origin and pathogenesis, a prerequisite to consider its potential as a biocontrol agent. The methods used included light and transmission electron microscopy, nrDNA sequencing, phylogenetic analyses, artificial inoculations, and the examination of old herbarium and recent field specimens from Hungary, Korea, Ukraine and USA. The Eurasian and the North American specimens of this fungus were to represent two distinct, although closely related lineages that were only distantly related to other lineages within the Ascomycota. Consequently, we describe a new genus that includes Cryptophyllachora eurasiatica gen. et sp. nov. and C. ambrosiae comb. nov., respectively. The pathogenesis of C. eurasiatica was shown in A. artemisiifolia. No evidence was found for either seed-borne transmission or systemic infection. Two hypotheses were developed to explain the interaction between C. eurasiatica and A. artemisiifolia: (i) as yet undetected seed-borne transmissions and latent, systemic infections; or (ii) alternative hosts.

First European Report of a Leaf Spot on Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) Caused by a Phoma sp

Common ragweed, native to North America, has recently become invasive in some parts of Europe. In Hungary, it has become the most widespread agricultural weed species and the most important producer of allergenic pollen since the 1990s. During surveys for its fungal plant pathogens to be evaluated as potential biological control agents (1), ragweed plants exhibiting necrotic spots on the leaves and stems were repeatedly found in Heves and Vas counties in Hungary in September 2004 and 2006. Numerous globose and ostiolate pycnidia, 68 to 115 μm in diameter, containing hyaline, unicellular conidia, 3 to 8 μm long, were found in necrotic tissues. On the basis of these characteristics, the fungus was identified as a Phoma sp., and 21 isolates were obtained on Czapek-Dox medium supplemented with 2% malt and 0.5% tetracycline in 2004 and 2006. Two well-sporulating isolates, designated Ph-5 and Ph-17, were selected for further studies. DNA was extracted from mycelium with a Qiagen DNeasy Plant Kit (Hilden, Germany) and the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences were amplified and determined as described by Szentiványi et al. (2). The ITS sequences were identical in these two isolates and were 97 to 98% similar to those of Didymella bryoniae (anamorph Phoma cucurbitacearum), a pathogen of cucurbits, and also to those of other Phoma spp. No ITS sequences identical to those determined in Phoma isolates Ph-5 and Ph-17 were found in GenBank. Sequence data were deposited in GenBank (No. FJ794609). To test the pathogenicity of Ph-17 grown on Czapek-Dox medium with 2% malt, a 2 to 6 × 10⁵ conidia/ml aqueous suspension was used to inoculate 2-month-old potted ragweed plants and 1-month-old cucumber cv. Rajnai fürtös, bottle gourd (Lagenaria leucantha) cv. Minibottle, and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) cv. Sugar Baby, which were all grown from seeds in a greenhouse. Plants were kept in transparent plastic chambers for 6 weeks. Five pots with one to three plants each were used for each plant species tested and the experiment was carried out twice. Noninoculated plants, two pots with one to three individuals for each species kept in the same way, served as controls. Necrotic spots with pycnidia developed on 38 to 47% of the leaves of all inoculated ragweed plants 18 to 25 days after inoculation, whereas all the cucurbitaceous plants tested, as well as the control ragweed plants, did not develop disease symptoms. Although the Phoma isolate Ph-17 was, based on ITS sequence data, closely related to D. bryoniae, it was not pathogenic to cucurbits. The pathogen was reisolated from two diseased ragweed plants. Several Phoma spp. strains were isolated from Ambrosia artemisiifolia in the United States and Canada (3,4), but to our knowledge, none were isolated outside North America. One of the strains has already been used as a potential biological control agent of ragweed in Canada, but then lost its virulence in culture (3). The biocontrol potential of the Hungarian Phoma sp. isolate Ph-17 against A. artemisiifolia is currently being investigated. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a Phoma sp. on A. artemisiifolia in Europe. References: (1) L. Kiss. Biocontrol Sci. Technol. 17:535, 2007. (2) O. Szentiványi et al. Mycol. Res. 109:429, 2005. (3) M. P. Teshler et al. Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., Common Ragweed (Asteraceae) in: Biological Control Programmes in Canada, 1981-2000. CABI, Wallingford, UK, 2002. (4) L. Zhou et al. Mycologia 97:612, 2005.

First Report of Phyllachora ambrosiae in Europe Causing Epidemics on Common Ragweed

Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior (L.) Descourt.) was introduced to Europe from North America during the nineteenth century. Since the early 1990s, it has become the most widespread and most important allergenic weed in Hungary. In July 1999, during the annual survey of fungal diseases of ragweed in Hungary, plants exhibiting irregular brown spots surrounded by yellowish halos with small black spherical bodies on the upper surface of leaves, especially along the vessels, were collected from three roadside sites. Light microscopy revealed intracellular hyphae in the cells of leaf tissues, including the vessels, and perithecia (186 to 262 μm in diameter) containing paraphyses and asci (93 × 15 μm) with eight hyaline, unicellular ascospores (14 × 7.5 μm). Hyphae also were observed in asymptomatic leaf tissues and the petioles of infected plants. Mature perithecia commonly found in the necrotic spots also were present in asymptomatic, green leaf tissues. Based on the literature (1,2) and on the morphological examination of two herbarium specimens, BPI 636220 and BPI 636225, borrowed from the U.S. National Fungus Collection, the fungus was identified as Phyllachora ambrosiae (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Sacc., a holobiotrophic pathogen of ragweed in North and South America. This is the first report of P. ambrosiae on ragweed in Europe. To confirm pathogenicity, leaves of five potted ragweed plants, grown from seed in pots, were inoculated with 0.1 ml of an aqueous suspension containing 5 × 10⁵ ascospores per ml. Inoculated plants were placed in a moist chamber for 48 h and kept in the greenhouse at 20 to 25°C. Noninoculated plants served as controls. Two weeks after inoculation, yellowish spots, which later became brown and necrotic, and perithecia appeared on each of the inoculated leaves. Infected leaves died 3 to 4 weeks after inoculation. Symptoms were similar to those seen in the field. The fungus in tissues of inoculated plants was morphologically identical to the original fungus on plants with spontaneous infections. Control plants did not develop symptoms. To determine the distribution of P. ambrosiae in Hungary, a total of 500 ragweed plants were collected at random from 21 locations in all regions of the country between August and October 1999. Symptoms characteristic of P. ambrosiae infections and perithecia of the fungus were found in 92% of all 500 collected plants. From mid-September, all ragweed plants examined had dead leaves and inflorescences. Perithecia of P. ambrosiae were found in leaves, stems, and flowers. References: (1) P. A. Saccardo. 1883. Sylloge Fungorum. Patavii (Padova), Sumptibus Aucteris. (2) F. Theissen and H. Sydow. 1915. Ann. Mycol. 13:431.