Physiological response and susceptibility of strawberry cultivars to the charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina under drought stress conditions

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Charcoal rot of strawberry (Macrophomina phaseolina) is an emerging disease difficult to manage, a desirable alternative is the use of resistant cultivars. However, little is known regarding the reaction of cultivars to the pathogen under water stress conditions. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this work were to study the effect of water stress on the physiology of four strawberry cultivars during the infection, and to determine the relationship between water stress and cultivar susceptibility. METHODS: Healthy and inoculated plants of 'Monterey', 'Albion', 'Camarosa' and 'Sabrina' were maintained under no irrigation and full irrigation regimes, in greenhouse conditions. Stem water potential (SWP) and stomatal conductance (gs) were evaluated. The disease severity was recorded weekly for seven weeks. RESULTS: The disease detrimentally affected the water relations in 'Sabrina', 'Albion' and 'Monterey'. A significant correlation was detected between the evaluated parameters and the disease severity. The disease severity increases in plants with no irrigation, regardless of cultivar. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the infection caused by M. phaseolina increases the negative effects of water stress, depending on the genotype, and that the cultivars that were able to maintain more stable water relations respond better to the disease.

Response of melon cultivars to infection by Macrophomina pseudophaseolina isolates and its effect on protein expression

“…Infection caused by species from the genus Macrophomina mainly affects roots, limiting water and nutrient uptake by plants, consequently impairing their development (Sánchez et al, 2019). Such behavior was observed in both melon types studied, with an intense reduction in length and fresh weight on this organ.…”

“…Similarly, Purkayastha et al (2006) observed that some genetically distinct M. phaseolina isolates were more aggressive to cluster bean. Moreover, high genetic diversity in the genus Macrophomina can reflect on its degree of pathogenicity since changes in their physiological characteristics guarantee adaptability to different agroecological conditions (Sánchez et al, 2019;Rafiei et al, 2013).…”

Machine Learning Techniques for Soybean Charcoal Rot Disease Prediction

“…An appearance of powdery black sclerotia is found under the epidermis and root at the seed formation stage in the infected plants. Sometimes, the plant symptoms of this disease are confused with other plant abiotic stresses like drought or abiotic stress like cyst nematode, therefore the detection of this disease based on morphological aerial plant parts is challenging ( Sanchez et al, 2019 ).…”

Drought: A context‐dependent damper and aggravator of plant diseases

“…This is particularly evident in cases where pathogens colonise the plant's vascular system, block the xylem, and disrupt normal water transport, exacerbating the negative effects of water deficit. For example, strawberry plants infected with M. phaseolina exhibit relatively lower stem (xylem) water potential and stomatal conductance under drought stress (Sánchez et al, 2019). When re-irrigated, infected plants cannot recover, while uninfected plants subjected to drought stress do.…”