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Evidence for the involvement of Aphanomyces cochlioides and Pythium spp. in ‘girth scab’ disease of sugar beet in Bavaria

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Abstract

The term ‘girth scab’ describes a chronic disease of sugar beet roots (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) for which the causes still remain unclear. While pathogenicity of the oomycete Aphanomyces cochlioides to sugar beet has been known for a long time, most practical guides and other professional literature refer to actinobacteria as the causal agents. In this study, we try to provide some clarification of the aetiology of this disease by studying affected sugar beets from different regions in Bavaria, with a focus on the involvement of A. cochlioides and other soilborne oomycetes. In parallel, the samples were investigated for the presence of actinobacteria. A. cochlioides and several Pythium spp. were isolated from the samples in both 2010 and 2011, among these P. recalcitrans, P. intermedium and P. sylvaticum. In a soil infestation test, A. cochlioides in particular proved to be highly aggressive to young beet plants, causing severe symptoms of ‘girth scab’, and a significant biomass reduction. P. recalcitrans also caused mild scab, while the other species led to biomass reduction only. Bacteriological studies showed that Streptomyces spp. found on some samples were most likely non-pathogenic strains that were not primarily involved in the disease. Our results show that A. cochlioides rather than actinobacteria is most probably the causal agent of the ‘girth scab‘ disease. The wet weather conditions and the massive occurrence in 2010 make the contribution of this moisture-associated oomycete most plausible. The role of several Pythium spp. that caused similar symptoms remains to be clarified.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Institute for Plant Protection, Lange Point 10, D-85354, Freising, Germany

    Jan Nechwatal, Jürgen Leiminger, Georg Poschenrieder & Michael Zellner

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  1. Jan Nechwatal
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  2. Jürgen Leiminger
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  3. Georg Poschenrieder
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  4. Michael Zellner
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Correspondence to Jan Nechwatal.

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Nechwatal, J., Leiminger, J., Poschenrieder, G. et al. Evidence for the involvement of Aphanomyces cochlioides and Pythium spp. in ‘girth scab’ disease of sugar beet in Bavaria. J Plant Dis Prot 119, 85–91 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03356425

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