Phenotypic and Genetic Characterization of Botrytis cinerea Population from Kiwifruit in Sichuan Province, China

Abstract

Botrytis cinerea (anamorph of Botryotinia fuckeliana) causes gray mold on numerous plants, including kiwifruit. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the phenotypic and genetic characteristics of the Botrytis cinerea population from kiwifruit in Sichuan Province, China. In all, 176 isolates were collected from kiwifruit orchards from eight geographic regions in Sichuan. All isolates were identified as B. cinerea sensu stricto based on the combined datasets, including morphological criteria, determination of the Bc-hch allele, and phylogenetic analysis of the genes RPB2, G3PDH, and HSP60. Three colony types (i.e., sclerotial, mycelial, and conidial) were observed on potato dextrose agar after 2 weeks, with sclerotial isolates, the predominant category, accounting for 40.91%. No obvious differences in microscopic characteristics were observed among the three types. Three genotypes of transposable elements were identified in the B. cinerea population: boty, flipper, and transposa types. The most prevalent genotype from different geographic populations of B. cinerea was transposa; in contrast, the flipper genotype accounted for only 3.98% of the total population, whereas the vacuma genotype was absent. According to MAT locus amplification, 87 and 89 isolates are MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 type, respectively, and the two mating types were found to be balanced overall in the population. Forty-eight representative isolates were all able to cause gray mold to some extent, and disease severities were significantly different between the cultivars Hongyang and Hort16A (P < 0.01). Disease severity was significantly greater on young leaves than on mature leaves (P < 0.01). No significant relationship was found between pathogenicity and geographical region, colony type, or transposon distribution. The results obtained in the present study suggest a relatively uniform species diversity of Botrytis but rich phenotypic and genetic differentiation within the B. cinerea population on kiwifruit in China. Utilizing resistant cultivars and rain-shelter cultivation instead of fungicides may be an effective approach to delaying pathogen variability.

Phenotype and genotype characterization of Botrytis cinerea isolates from cut roses in Yunnan, China

“…Although ITS information has been previously used to complement the morphological and phenotypic characteristics in the identification of B. cinerea isolates, it is not sufficient for resolving the taxonomy of the genus in relation to B. cinerea isolates (Staats et al, 2005;Walker et al, 2011). Multigene combined phylogenetic identification has been conducted for the genus Botrytis in numerous studies (Ferrada et al, 2016;Pei et al, 2019;Zhang et al, 2018). Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of three nuclear gene (RPB2, HSP60 and G3PDH) fragments were conducted on 22 recognized species and one hybrid (Staats et al, 2005), and the use of a combination of these sequences for the classification and identification of Botrytis species was recommended.…”

“…The Sc strains produce mostly sclerotia, and the M strains are characterized by the development of aerial mycelium. Since then, these features have commonly been used in the identification and classification of B. cinerea (Ferrada et al, 2016;Jarvis, 1977;Pei et al, 2019). Morphological characteristics show high similarity among several species of the genus Botrytis and can easily be affected by internal nutrition and external environmental conditions; thus, it is extremely difficult to distinguish B. cinerea from some other species using their morphological characteristics.…”

“…Pathogenicity and fungicide tolerance are important indicators of the ability of a strain to invade the host and cause disease. The pathogenicity of B. cinerea strains has been widely studied in different hosts (Kumari et al, 2014;Ziedan et al, 2018) and shows remarkable variation (Mercier et al, 2019;Pei et al, 2019). Procymidone and cyprodinil are commonly used for grey mould control in cut roses in Yunnan, but whether the pathogen has developed resistance to these two fungicides is unknown.…”

Postharvest Incidence of Stem End Rot in ‘Hayward’ Kiwifruit Is Related to PreharvestBotrytis cinereaColonization of Floral Parts and Latent Infection

“…B. cinerea and B. prunorum were identified from a total of 10 Botrytis colonies obtained from culture of sepals, receptacles, styles, fruit, and airborne conidial capture. Identification was based on the colonial characteristics, colony's conidial production, and the morphology of the conidia and conidiophores (Ferrada et al 2016;Mirzaei et al 2008;Pei et al 2019). The culture medium was potato dextrose agar acidified with 0.5 ml liter −1 of 92% vol/vol lactic acid (APDA) with incubation at 20°C under 12 h light/dark cycle for 10 days.…”

Genetic and molecular landscapes of the generalist phytopathogen Botrytis cinerea

“…These large collections of studies provide the ability to conduct a meta‐analysis of the factors influencing B. cinerea's extensive genetic diversity. To summarize findings of these studies, we performed a meta‐analysis by compiling the publicly available data for >10,000 strains across 58 publications (Abdel Wahab, 2015; Acosta Morel et al., 2018; Albertini & Leroux, 2004; Albertini et al., 2002; Aliaga, 2013; Amiri et al., 2018; Asadollahi et al., 2013; Beever & Parkes, 1993; Ben Ahmed & Hamada, 2005; Campia, 2014; Cettul et al., 2008; Ciliberti et al., 2016; DeLong et al., 2020; Diao et al., 2019; Emilda, 2015; Esterio et al., 2011; Fan et al., 2015; Fekete et al., 2012; Fournier et al., 2005, 2013; Giraud et al., 1997; Giraud et al., 1999; Hu et al., 2018; Isenegger et al., 2008; Johnston et al., 2013; Kecskeméti et al., 2014; Kumari et al., 2014; Kuzmanovska et al., 2012; Leyronas et al., 2014; Lorenzini & Zapparoli, 2014; Ma & Michailides, 2005; Makris et al., 2022; Martinez et al., 2003; Mercier et al., 2019; Moparthi et al., 2023; Muñoz & Campos, 2013; Muñoz et al., 2002, 2016; Naegele et al., 2021; Pei et al., 2019; Polat et al., 2018; Rajaguru & Shaw, 2010; Román Ramos, 2013; Tanović et al., 2009, 2014; Testempasis et al., 2020; Toffolatti et al., 2020; Topolovec‐Pintarić et al., 2004; Törün & Biyik, 2022; Vaczy et al., 2008; Vatsa‐Portugal et al., 2014; Vercesi et al., 2014…”