Abstract
Miscanthus holds great potential as a bioenergy crop and Ireland has ideal conditions for its cultivation, however limited information is available about the interactions between Miscanthus and soil fungi which are pathogenic to other crops grown in Ireland and the UK. Miscanthus may therefore be susceptible to soil-borne pathogens present in the soil prior to crop establishment or may harbour pathogens and facilitate transmission of disease to other crops. The response of Miscanthus to a number of fungal species was recorded to determine the vulnerability of Miscanthus to some of the most important cereal pathogens in Ireland. The microbial species were selected based on their presence in soil and their known pathogenicity towards cereal crops currently grown in Ireland. A number of fungi caused a significant level of infection on detached Miscanthus leaves: Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium poae (Fusarium sporotrichiella var. poae) and Sordaria fimicola caused the greatest level of symptoms while Fusarium culmorum caused the greatest visual disease symptoms in living tissue during whole plant tests. The results suggest that Miscanthus is susceptible to a number of cereal fungal pathogens, and that of all the species investigated Fusarium species pose the greatest threat to Miscanthus plantings in Ireland. Fusarium is a known causative agent of blight in cereals, thus its ability to survive both on living and discarded Miscanthus tissue is important as it suggests that Miscanthus could act as a “disease bridge” for cereal pathogens.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahonsi, M. O., Agindotan, B. O., Williams, D. W., Arundale, R., Gray, M. E., Voigt, T. B., et al. (2010). First report of Pithomyces chartarum causing a leaf blight of Miscanthus × giganteus in Kentucky. Plant Disease, 94(4), 480. doi:10.1094/pdis-94-4-0480c.
Ahonsi, M. O., Agindotan, B. O., Gray, M. E., & Bradley, C. A. (2011). First report of basal stem rot and foliar blight caused by Pythium sylvaticum on Miscanthus sinensis in Illinois. Plant Disease, 95(5), 616. doi:10.1094/pdis-08-10-0592.
Brennan, J. M., Fagan, B., van Maanen, A., Cooke, B. M., & Doohan, F. M. (2003). Studies on in vitro growth and pathogenicity of European Fusarium fungi. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 109(6), 577–587. doi:10.1023/a:1024712415326.
Brennan, J. M., Leonard, G., Cooke, B. M., & Doohan, F. M. (2005). Analysis of head and leaf reaction towards Microdochium nivale. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 112(1), 79–83. doi:10.1007/s10658-004-5849-y.
Brennan, J. M., Leonard, G., Fagan, B., Cooke, B. M., Ritieni, A., Ferracane, R., et al. (2007). Comparison of commercial European wheat cultivars to Fusarium infection of head and seedling tissue. Plant Pathology, 56(1), 55–64. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3059.2006.01458.x.
Caslin, B., Finnan, J., & Easson, L. (2011). Miscanthus: Best Practice Guidelines. Carlow: Teagasc.
Christian, D. G., Lamptey, J. N. L., Forde, S. M. D., & Plumb, R. T. (1994). First report of barley yellow dwarf luteovirus on Miscanthus in the United Kingdom. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 100(2), 167–170. doi:10.1007/bf01876249.
CSO. (2013). Area Yield and Production of Selected Crops. Dublin: Central Statistics Office.
Dardis, J. V., & Walsh, E. J. (2002). Control of fusarium head blight in wheat under irish growing conditions: current situation and future prospects. Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 102B(2), 93–103. doi:10.2307/20500152.
Doohan, F. M., Parry, D. W., & Nicholson, P. (1999). Fusarium ear blight of wheat: the use of quantitative PCR and visual disease assessment in studies of disease control. Plant Pathology, 48(2), 209–217. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3059.1999.00342.x.
Galbally, P., Ryan, D., Fagan, C. C., Finnan, J., Grant, J., & McDonnell, K. (2013). Biosolid and distillery effluent amendments to Irish short rotation coppiced willow plantations: impacts on groundwater quality and soil. Agricultural Water Management, 116, 193–203. doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2012.07.010.
Gams, W., Klamer, M., & O’Donnell, K. (1999). Fusarium miscanthi sp. nov. from Miscanthus litter. Mycologia, 91(2), 263–268. doi:10.2307/3761371.
Glynn, N. C., Ray, R., Edwards, S. G., Hare, M. C., Parry, D. W., & Barnett, C. J. (2007). Quantitative Fusarium spp. and Microdochium spp. PCR assays to evaluate seed treatments for the control of Fusarium seedling blight of wheat. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 102, 1645–1653. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2672.2006.03190.x.
Goßmann, M. Occurrence and pathogenicity of Fusarium spp. on Miscanthus x giganteus Greef & Deu. (China grass). In H. Niremberg (Ed.), 6th European Fusarium Seminar & Third COST 835 Workshop of Agriculturally Important Toxigenic Fungi, Berlin, Germany, 11-16 September, 2000.
HGCA. (2008). The Encyclopaedia of cereal diseases. London: The Home-Grown Cereals Authority.
Howley, M., Dennehy, E., Holland, M., & Gallachóir, B. (2012). Energy in Ireland —Key statistics 2012. Dublin: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
ISTA. (2008). International rules for seed testing. edition 2008. Basserdorf: The International Seed Testing Association.
Kageyama, K., Ohyama, A., & Hyakumachi, M. (1997). Detection of Pythium ultimum using polymerase chain reaction with species-specific primers. Plant Disease, 81(10), 1155–1160. doi:10.1094/pdis.1997.81.10.1155.
Khan, M. R., Egan, D., Fagan, B., & Doohan, F. M. (2004). Culture-dependent microbial diversity in the cereal rhizospheres of Ireland —a preliminary survey. In S. E. Jacobsen, C. R. Jensen, & J. R. Porter (Eds.), VIII ESA Congress (pp. 761–762). Copenhagen: European agriculture in a global context.
Lee, H. K., Tewari, J. P., & Turkington, T. K. (2001). A PCR-based assay to detect Rhynchosporium secalis in barley seed. Plant Disease, 85(2), 220–225. doi:10.1094/pdis.2001.85.2.220.
Lewandowski, I., Clifton-Brown, J. C., Scurlock, J. M. O., & Huisman, W. (2000). Miscanthus: European experience with a novel energy crop. Biomass and Bioenergy, 19(4), 209–227. doi:10.1016/s0961-9534(00)00032-5.
Liu, K., Kloepper, J. W., McInroy, J. A., & Hu, C. H. (2011). Selecting mixtures of PGPR for biological control of multiple plant diseases. Paper presented at the Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) for sustainable agriculture. Proceedings of the 2nd Asian PGPR Conference, Beijing, China, 21 –24 August.
Meehan, P. G., McDonnell, K. P., & Finnan, J. M. (2012). An assessment of the effect of harvest time and harvest method on biomass loss for Miscanthus × giganteus. GCB Bioenergy, 5(4), 400–407. doi:10.1111/j.1757-1707.2012.01205.x.
Nicholson, P., & Parry, D. W. (1996). Development and use of a PCR assay to detect Rhizoctonia cerealis, the cause of sharp eyespot in wheat. Plant Pathology, 45(5), 872–883.
Nicholson, P., Lees, A. K., Maurin, N., Parry, D. W., & Rezanoor, H. N. (1996). Development of a PCR assay to identify and quantify Microdochium nivale var. nivale and Microdochium nivale var. majus in wheat. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, 48(4), 257–271. doi:10.1006/pmpp.1996.0022.
Nicholson, P., Rezanoor, H. N., Simpson, D. R., & Joyce, D. (1997). Differentiation and quantification of the cereal eyespot fungi Tapesia yallundae and Tapesia acuformis using a PCR assay. Plant Pathology, 46(6), 842–856.
Nicholson, P., Simpson, D. R., Weston, G., Rezanoor, H. N., Lees, A. K., Parry, D. W., et al. (1998). Detection and quantification of Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium graminearum in cereals using PCR assays. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, 53(1), 17–37. doi:10.1006/pmpp.1998.0170.
O’Neill, N. R., & Farr, D. F. (1996). Miscanthus blight, a new foliar disease of ornamental grasses and sugarcane incited by Leptosphaeria sp. and its anamorphic state Stagonospora sp. Plant Disease, 80, 980–987.
O’Sullivan, E. (2004). Cereal diseases and fungicide resistance. Paper presented at the National Tillage Conference, Carlow
Parry, D. W., & Nicholson, P. (1996). Development of a PCR assay to detect Fusarium poae in wheat. Plant Pathology, 45(2), 383–391. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3059.1996.d01-133.x.
Paulitz, T. C., Smiley, R. W., & Cook, R. J. (2002). Insights into the prevalence and management of soilborne cereal pathogens under direct seeding in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, 24(4), 416–428. doi:10.1080/07060660209507029.
Stewart, A., & Cromey, M. (2011). Identifying disease threats and management practices for bio-energy crops. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 3(1–2), 75–80. doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2010.10.008.
Waalwijk, C., Mendes, O., Verstappen, E. C. P., de Waard, M. A., & Kema, G. H. J. (2002). Isolation and characterization of the mating-type idiomorphs from the wheat septoria leaf blotch fungus Mycosphaerella graminicola. Fungal Genetics and Biology, 35(3), 277–286. doi:10.1006/fgbi.2001.1322.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Glynn, E., Brennan, J.M., Walsh, E. et al. The potential of Miscanthus to harbour known cereal pathogens. Eur J Plant Pathol 141, 35–44 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-014-0519-1
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-014-0519-1