Detached Maize Sheaths for Live-Cell Imaging of Infection by Fungal Foliar Maize Pathogens.

We have optimized a protocol to inoculate maize leaf sheaths with hemibiotrophic and necrotrophic foliar pathogenic fungi. The method is modified from one originally applied to rice leaf sheaths and allows direct microscopic observation of fungal growth and development in living plant cells. Leaf sheaths collected from maize seedlings with two fully emerged leaf collars are inoculated with 20 µL drops of 5 x 10 spores/mL fungal spore suspensions and incubated in humidity chambers at 23 °C under continuous fluorescent light.

Identification of Quinone Outside Inhibitor Fungicide-Resistant Isolates of from Illinois and Kentucky.

Stagonospora leaf and glume blotch, caused by is a major disease of winter wheat () in the United States capable of significantly reducing grain yield and quality. Pathogens such as that overwinter in crop residue are often an increased concern in cropping systems that utilize no-till farming. In addition, the lack of wheat cultivars with complete resistance to has led to the reliance on foliar fungicides for disease management.

Diversity and Cross-Infection Potential of Causing Fruit Rots in Mixed-Fruit Orchards in Kentucky.

Fungi in the genus cause apple, blueberry, and strawberry fruit rots, which can result in significant losses. Accurate identification is important because species differ in aggressiveness, fungicide sensitivity, and other factors affecting management. Multiple species can cause similar symptoms on the same host, and more than one fruit type can be infected by a single species.

Using mating-type gene sequences for improved phylogenetic resolution of Collectotrichum species complexes.

Colletotrichum species are defined primarily on the basis of host preference and morphology of the organism in planta and in culture. However the genus contains several species complexes that encompass such a broad range of morphological and pathological variation that the species name is of relatively little use either to the taxonomist or plant pathologist. Phylogenetic analyses, primarily based on variable regions of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences, have indicated that these species complexes comprise a variable number of identifiable monophyletic clades.