The Top 10 fungal pathogens in molecular plant pathology

Abstract

The aim of this review was to survey all fungal pathologists with an association with the journal Molecular Plant Pathology and ask them to nominate which fungal pathogens they would place in a 'Top 10' based on scientific/economic importance. The survey generated 495 votes from the international community, and resulted in the generation of a Top 10 fungal plant pathogen list for Molecular Plant Pathology. The Top 10 list includes, in rank order, (1) Magnaporthe oryzae; (2) Botrytis cinerea; (3) Puccinia spp.; (4) Fusarium graminearum; (5) Fusarium oxysporum; (6) Blumeria graminis; (7) Mycosphaerella graminicola; (8) Colletotrichum spp.; (9) Ustilago maydis; (10) Melampsora lini, with honourable mentions for fungi just missing out on the Top 10, including Phakopsora pachyrhizi and Rhizoctonia solani. This article presents a short resumé of each fungus in the Top 10 list and its importance, with the intent of initiating discussion and debate amongst the plant mycology community, as well as laying down a benchmark. It will be interesting to see in future years how perceptions change and what fungi will comprise any future Top 10.

The novel elicitor AsES triggers a defense response against Botrytis cinerea in Arabidopsis thaliana

“…The necrotrophic fungus B. cinerea, commonly known as grey mold, has been classified as the second most important phytopathogen since it can infect over 200 plant species and destroy different organs of the plant during the pre-and post-harvest [22]. Elicitors represent an attractive potential alternative to fungicides since they can induce plant defense responses [3].…”

“…Preliminary evidence showed that AsES also protects against the agriculturally important grey mold fungus Botrytis cinerea [22] but details on its action against this necrotrophic pathogen are missing [21]. In order to better understand the mode of action of AsES, we characterized its activity in the plant-pathogen system Arabidopsis thaliana-B.…”

Resistance to Fusarium wilt in common bean

“…Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht., a widespread soil pathogen, causes vascular wilt in more than 100 plant species and is considered one of the 10 economically and scientifically most important pathogenic fungi in the world (Dean et al 2012, Pantelides et al 2013. In Brazil, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.…”

When green and red mycology meet: Impressions from an interdisciplinary forum on virulence mechanisms of phyto- and human-pathogenic fungi

“…Among the estimated 6 million fungal species, 2 several have been identified regularly to be harmful for animals and human individuals, 3 while an apparently distinct group can act as plant pathogens and therefore affect human wellbeing in an indirect fashion. 4 With respect to the latter, several crop diseases described as rust, smut, blast, blotch, or mildew caused by plant-pathogenic fungi account for annual food losses that would feed about 8.5% of the world's population. 5 Besides this direct impact on global agriculture, indirect consequences affecting staple crops can emerge from ecological perturbations caused by fungi -a scenario seen for the epidemic of the white-nose syndrome among bats that is caused by a fungal pathogen, given the agroecological impact of these insectivorous animals.…”