Study of diseases caused by Diaporthe Amygdali and Oomycetes on almond crops
- Autores: Francisco Beluzán
- Directores de la Tesis: Josep Armengol (dir. tes.), Paloma Abad Campos (dir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Politècnica de València ( España ) en 2024
- Idioma: inglés
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Antonieta de Cal y Cortina (presid.), Mónica Berbegal Martínez (secret.), Soledad Martos Arias (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Recursos y Tecnologías Agrícolas por la Universitat Politècnica de València
- Calificación: Sobresaliente Cum Laude
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Tesis en acceso abierto en: RiuNet
- Resumen
A qPCR assay for the detection and quantification of aerial inoculum of D. amygdali, including the design of a pair of specific primers for this species, was developed. This methodology was used to study the dynamics of D. amygdali inoculum in spore traps placed at two almond orchards from different locations in two growing seasons. A two-part Hurdle model was built with the recorded climatic data; the first part related the presence or absence of D. amygdali DNA (Bernoulli or qualitative) and the other considered the average concentration of DNA of the fungus (Gamma or quantitative). The temperature effect was related to daily thermal amplitude; wider thermal ranges reduced DNA concentration, while narrower thermal ranges increased DNA detection. The days with average relative humidity higher than 80% had a negative effect on the concentration of D. amygdali DNA. Rainfall had a positive influence on both parts of the model, confirming the contribution of precipitation in the dispersal of inoculum. Finally, wind speed variable positively influenced both parts of the model, in both growing seasons.
In laboratory tests, twigs from 25 almond cultivars were inoculated with four isolates of D. amygdali, while field inoculations involved the inoculation of growing shoots of almond cultivars grafted onto 'GF-677' rootstock over four years. In both type of experiments, inoculum consisted of agar plugs with mycelium, which were inserted underneath the bark and the lesion lengths caused by the fungus were measured. All evaluated cultivars showed necrotic lesions in response to D. amygdali, confirming their susceptibility. Cluster analysis categorized cultivars as susceptible or very susceptible. Agronomic traits, such as blooming and ripening times, were linked to cultivar susceptibility. Late blooming, very late blooming, and early to medium ripening cultivars exhibited high susceptibility.
Surveys were carried out between 2018 and 2020 in 6 provinces of Spain to collect and identify oomycetes associated with root and crown rot symptoms on almond trees. A total of 104 oomycete isolates were obtained from diseased trees, and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region identified species from different genera. Phytopythium vexans and Ph. niederhauserii were the most common species. Pathogenicity tests on one-year-old almond seedlings of 'Garnem' rootstock revealed severe symptoms, including defoliation, wilting, and dieback, with some plants dying when inoculated with Pp. vexans and Ph. niederhauserii. Some isolates of Ph. niederhauserii significantly reduced the dry weight of the roots compared with the control, but this effect was not observed in seedlings inoculated with Pp. vexans.
Pathogenicity of 12 soil-borne oomycete species on three commonly used Prunus hybrid rootstocks in the Mediterranean Basin was evaluated. Pathogenicity tests with 15 oomycete isolates were conducted on 1-year-old rootstock seedlings. Ninety days after inoculation, disease symptoms were evaluated on a severity scale, and the AUDPC and the survival probability of the inoculated seedlings were calculated. All the isolates were pathogenic to the rootstock seedlings and were re-isolated from root lesions. For each rootstock large differences in virulence were detected among the different oomycete species and isolates of Ph. niederhauserii. Phytophthora multivora and Pp. helicoides were generally the most virulent.
