Managing Phomopsis Stem Canker of Sunflower Using Improved Diagnosis and Quantification of the Causal Pathogens

<p>Phomopsis stem canker is a disease that severely affects sunflower (<em>Helianthus annuus)</em> in the United States. From 2001 to 2015, disease prevalence has increased from 1.5% to 61%, and two new causal agents, <em>Diaporthe gulyae</em> and <em>Diaporthe stewartii</em>, have been described along with <em>Diaporthe helianthi</em>, which was always regarded as the main causal pathogen of the disease. At this time, options to manage the disease are limited. Currently, no commercial sunflower hybrids have resistance to all three species of<em> Diaporthe</em>, and no fungicides are labeled for control of Phomopsis stem canker of sunflower in the United States. To help improve management of the disease with effective diagnostics, two quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays were designed from the translation elongation factor region (EF1-α) of <em>D. helianthi</em> and <em>D. gulyae</em>. The specificity of the two qPCR assays was validated by examining the assays with genomic DNA of various species of Diaporthe and other plant pathogens. The detection limit of both assays was 10 ng to 1 pg of DNA. Both assays were capable of detecting <em>D. helianthi</em> and <em>D. gulyae</em> from infected plant samples, and these results were confirmed by traditional isolation of the pathogens onto potato dextrose agar (PDA). The qPCR assays also proved to be effective in genotype screening for stem resistance to <em>D. helianthi</em> and <em>D. gulyae</em> under greenhouse conditions, identifying 16 genotypes with potential resistance to <em>D. helianthi</em> and <em>D. gulyae</em>.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - Open Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Agronomy, Horticulture, and Plant Science

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Olson, Taylor Rae

Contributors dc:contributor

• Febina Mathew

• Plant Pathology
• Plant Sciences

Licence

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier

https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/1184

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:openprairie.sdstate.edu:etd-2190