Genetic structure of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum populations from sunflower and cabbage in West Azarbaijan province of Iran

Abstract

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is one of the most destructive fungal pathogens infecting a wide array of plant species worldwide. Management of this pathogen relies on the coordinated use of fungicides and resistant host cultivars with other control measures, but the effectiveness of these methods requires knowledge of the genetic variability and structure of the fungal populations. To provide insight into the genetic diversity and structure of this pathogen in West Azarbaijan province of Iran, a total of 136 isolates were collected from symptomatic sunflower and cabbage plants within fields in three regions and analysed using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers and intergenic spacer (IGS) region of the rRNA gene sequences. A total of 83 ISSR multilocus genotypes (MLGs) were identified, some of which were shared among at least two regional or host populations but in a low frequency. High genotypic diversity, low levels of clonal fraction, and random association of ISSR loci in a region indicated a low level of clonal reproduction, and possibly a high level of sexually recombining life cycle for the pathogen in the province. Marker analyses revealed that the pathogen was spatially homogeneous among fields, and thus similar control measures, such as the choice of resistant cultivars and fungicides, may effectively manage S. sclerotiorum within the region. Four IGS haplotypes (IGS1–IGS4) were detected within populations with IGS3 being the most prevalent haplotype. The low IGS haplotype diversity, the absence of spatial structure, and shared MLGs among populations may suggest a single introduction and subsequent dispersal of S. sclerotiorum within West Azarbaijan province.

Diversity of mycoparasitic Pythium sensu stricto and Globisporangium species in West Azarbaijan province of Iran

“…The S. sclerotiorum isolate P8 was previously collected from a naturally infected sunflower field in Salmas (Molaei et al, 2020) and was utilized in this study. Phenotypic and genotypic analyses indicated that this isolate exhibits high aggressiveness toward sunflower, displays a high growth rate on potato dextrose agar (PDA, 39 g/L, Merck, Germany), shows resistance to iprodione, and belongs to the intergenic spacer (IGS) haplotype 2 (IGS2; Faraghati et al, 2022; Molaei et al, 2020).…”

“…However, the crops in the region are threatened by various fungi, particularly soil‐borne pathogens such as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary (Faraghati et al, 2022; Molaei et al, 2020). Traditional methods to control these pathogens are often inadequate, emphasizing the need for alternative or complementary strategies.…”

Genetic Analysis of Earliness, Yield, Oil Quality-Related Traits, and Dna-Based Hybrid Authentication in Sunflower

“…The use of this technique ensures that the ideal crosses made are free from contamination. The obtained information will help plant breeders develop better achene and oil-yielding local hybrids containing better oil quality (Faraghati et al, 2022). It is also a hope that the project will produce effective breeding material and potential sunflower hybrids.…”

Characterization of fungal pathogens and germplasm screening for disease resistance in the main production area of the common bean in Argentina

“…However, other studies have suggested taking into account the structure imposed by the MCGs in addition to a set of molecular markers in population analyses ( Lehner and Mizubuti, 2017 ; Lehner et al, 2019 ; Silva et al, 2021 ). Over the past few years, the population structure of S. sclerotiorum has been extensively documented from different host crops and from different regions in the world ( Atallah et al, 2004 ; Sexton et al, 2006 ; Hemmati et al, 2009 ; Ekins et al, 2011 ; Attanayake et al, 2013 ; Clarkson et al, 2013 , 2017 ; Aldrich-Wolfe et al, 2015 ; Dunn et al, 2017 ; Panullo et al, 2018 ; Faraghati et al, 2022 ). In early studies, S. sclerotiorum populations exhibited a predominantly clonal population structure with low genetic diversity based on MCGs and DNA fingerprinting genotypes ( Kohli et al, 1992 ; Cubeta et al, 1997 ; Hambleton et al, 2002 ).…”