Anthropogenic influences such as tourism and climate change affect ecosystems. One consequence is that invasive species can spread to and colonize novel areas. A recent example of this scenario is the appearance, in the early 2000s in Brazil and Australia, of the plant pathogenic fungus Phakopsora euvitis, which causes Asian grapevine leaf rust. It is speculated that the disease was introduced either by long distance transport of spores in the atmosphere or the import of contaminated plant material. While the disease could be eradicated from the Australian continent it is still present in Brazil. The pathogen has spread successfully throughout most Brazilian grapevine-growing regions, most probably because of the lack of resistant plant cultivars. Today, the disease is endemic in Brazil. This review was written to highlight the increasing impact of the disease in Brazil and summarizes the current knowledge on the disease monocycle under different environmental conditions and the consequences for grapevine management. Gaps in the present state of knowledge are highlighted with the purpose of stimulating further research aimed at identifying efficient strategies to combat the disease.

The management of citrus canker, caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, has been widely studied in endemic areas due to the importance of the disease in several citrus producing countries. A set of control measures is well-established, but no study has investigated the efficiency of each measure individually and their combination for disease suppression. This study comprised a 3-year field study to assess the relative contribution of three measures for the control of citrus canker and reduction of crop losses. Windbreak (Wb), copper sprays (Cu), and leafminer control (Lc) were assessed in eight different combinations in a split-split plot design. The orchard was composed of ‘Valencia’ sweet orange trees grafted onto ‘Rangpur’ lime. Casuarina cunninghamiana trees were used as Wb. Cu and Lc sprays were performed every 21 days throughout the year. Individually, Cu showed the highest contribution for canker control, followed by Wb. Lc had no effect on reducing citrus canker. Wb+Cu showed the highest efficiency for control of the disease. This combination reduced the incidence of diseased trees by ~60%, and the incidence of diseased leaves and fruit by ≥ 90% and increased the yield in 2.0 to 2.6-fold in comparison with the unmanaged plots. Cu sprays were important for reducing disease incidence and crop losses, whereas Wb had an additional contribution in minimizing the incidence of cankered, non-marketable fruit. The results indicated that the adoption of these measures of control may depend on the characteristics of the orchard and destination of the production.

Quinone-outside inhibitor (QoI) fungicides are effective tools for preharvest control of brown rot of stone fruit. These fungicides have a very specific site of action so the risk of resistance selection is high. The sensitivity of Monilinia fructicola (G. Winter) Honey isolates to azoxystrobin (QoI) was investigated in 143 isolates collected between 2002 and 2011 from four Brazilian states in orchards with different frequencies of fungicide use (0 to 6 fungicides sprays/season). Sensitivity of the isolates to azoxystrobin was determined in vitro, by inhibition of mycelial growth and spore germination on fungicide-amended media or ex vivo by pathogen inoculation in untreated or treated fruit with azoxystrobin. Potential mutations in codons 143, 137, and 129 of the cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene and the occurrence of an intron immediately after codon 143 were analyzed in a subpopulation of the isolates. The M. fructicola population of São Paulo State was less sensitive to the fungicide than the population from the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. The low sensitivity of the isolates was confirmed also by comparing to the sensitivity of the baseline isolates. Mutations in G143A, F129L, and G137R in Cyt b gene were not found. In addition, 58 isolates tested showed an intron after codon 143 in Cyt b gene. Our results indicate that other mechanisms of selection for low sensitivity to QoI fungicides should be investigated.

No abstract

Huanglongbing (HLB, associated with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ and transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri) and citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC, caused by Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca and transmitted by sharpshooter species) have been managed by vector control and removal of symptomatic trees. Although vectors and new symptomatic trees can be detected year-round, peaks of vector populations are higher in spring and summer and the most symptomatic trees are found in autumn and winter. This work aimed to compare the management of both diseases during these favorable periods. The experiment was conducted over five years in a commercial orchard and had a 3 by 2 factorial design. The factor “vector control” had 3 levels: monthly vector control year-round (VCYR); monthly vector control in spring and summer (VCSS); and vector control when a threshold level of 10% occupancy was detected (VCOT). The factor “inoculum removal” had 2 levels: monthly eradication year-round (TEYR); and monthly eradication in autumn and winter (TEAW). Host flush, both HLB and CVC vector populations, and the number of symptomatic citrus plants were visually assessed. The level of vectors over the seasons, as measured using the average area under the curve (AUC), was similar for all treatments with the exception of psyllid abundance, which was around 4.5 times higher for VCSS than other treatments. For both diseases, no difference in the average AUC of disease progress and disease final incidence was observed. VCOT or adjusted VCSS associated to TEAW could be integrated for sustainable citrus production.

BACKGROUND: Citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) is an important citrus disease caused by the sharpshooter-transmitted bacterium Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca. Information about the efficacy of its disease management is bounded to either inoculum reduction or vector control. This study aimed to assess the role of different frequencies of roguing of symptomatic trees combined with different chemical control programs for the sharpshooters on CVC temporal progress. The experimental area was set up in October 2005 and had a 3 × 3 factorial design. Symptomatic tree removal intervals were every 28, 56, and 112 days to May 2012. Vector control treatments were no control, program A (PA), and program B (PB). Contact insecticides were sprayed every 28 (PA) or 14 (PB) days. Trees within both programs were treated with systemic and foliar insecticides to October 2008. After this, systemic insecticides were discontinued and only foliar treatments were applied. The number of diseased trees and the sharpshooter population were assessed to April 2015. RESULTS: Detection of the first symptomatic trees was similar for all treatments and occurred, on average, in month 50 after planting. Sharpshooter population and cumulative disease incidence were similar for all roguing intervals and between vector control programs, differing in plots with no control. We observed a reduction over 85% in disease incidence for both PA and PB compared with no control.CONCLUSION: These results support systematic control of sharpshooters as an efficient strategy for reducing CVC progress.

Grapevine rust has been associated with different causal agents belonging to the genus Phakopsora, which were recently transferred to the new genus Neophysopella (Ji et al., 2019). In North and Central America, the disease is caused by Neophysopella uva (Buriticá, 1994), which occurs on various Vitis species, and by Neophysopella muscadiniae only on Vitis rotundifolia (Buriticá, 1999). In Asia, grapevine rust is associated with Neophysopella ampelopsidis (Leu, 1988), which was considered the causal agent of rust in several genera of the family Vitaceae up to the year 2000. To elucidate the taxonomy of the N. ampelopsidis species complex, experimental inoculations on different vitaceous hosts (Ampelopsis, Parthenocissus, and Vitis) and comparative spore morphology have been performed (Ono, 2000). Based on these results, the species complex was split into three distinct species: N. ampelopsidis, Neophysopella vitis, and Neophysopella euvitis, forming uredinial and telial stages on Ampelopsis, Parthenocissus, and Vitis, respectively (Ono, 2000). Thus, the causal agent of Asian grapevine leaf rust (AGLR) was recognized as N. euvitis.

No abstract