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Host responses and impact on the boxwood blight pathogen, Calonectria pseudonaviculata

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Abstract

Main conclusion

Boxwood leaves are more susceptible to Calonectria pseudonaviculata (Cps) and better suited for Cps reproduction than those of pachysandra and sweet box. Passages through a non-boxwood host may alter Cps ability to sporulate.

Calonectria pseudonaviculata (Cps) infects boxwood and its two common companion plants—pachysandra and sweet box. This study investigated how boxwood, pachysandra, and sweet box respond to Cps isolates of different host origin. Detached leaves were inoculated with nine isolates, three from each host, and evaluated for colonization, infection rate, lesion size, and production of conidia and microsclerotia. Cps colonized boxwood leaf tissue within 12 h of inoculation, and 60 h ahead of pachysandra and sweet box. Cps also produced significantly larger lesions and more conidia on boxwood than on pachysandra and sweet box. Isolates originating from different host plants did not differ in all the components evaluated except for conidia production. Isolates from boxwood and sweet box produced significantly more conidia than those from pachysandra. Overall, boxwood leaves are more susceptible to the disease and are better suited for Cps reproduction than those of pachysandra and sweet box. Passages through a non-boxwood host may alter Cps ability to sporulate. These results advance the understanding of Cps biology and affirm the importance of taking pachysandra and sweet box into consideration in disease management planning.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by the 2014 Farm Bill funds (15-8130-0282-CA and 16-8130-0282-CA) through the United States Department of Agriculture–Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The authors thank Tacora Lemelle for helping with microsclerotia isolation and Patricia Richardson for editing the English language of this manuscript.

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  1. Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Centre, Virginia Tech, Virginia Beach, VA, 23455, USA

    Ping Kong & Chuanxue Hong

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  1. Ping Kong
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  2. Chuanxue Hong
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Correspondence to Ping Kong.

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Kong, P., Hong, C. Host responses and impact on the boxwood blight pathogen, Calonectria pseudonaviculata. Planta 249, 831–838 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-018-3041-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-018-3041-4

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