Plant Pathology Science

Introduction: Ganoderma lucidum, medicinal mushroom, is one of the most effective traditional medicine in East Asia. The mycelium, the spore and the basidiocarp contain about 400 different bioactive compounds with polysaccharides, peptidoglycans and triterpenes as active ingredient groups of medical value. Underwater cultivation is one of the most reliable technologies to produce the industrial biomass of this mushroom, which contains anti-tumor and anti-cancer polysaccharides. Regarding the growth of fungal mycelium, it is related to various environmental factors such as pH, temperature and available nutrients. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of pH, temperature and different concentrations of the carbon and nitrogen sources on the growth rate of fungal biomass in sugar cane molasses. Materials and Methods: The first part of the study dealt with the morpHological and molecular identification of an Iranian isolate from G. lucidum.  Then the effects of carbon sources of arabinose, maltose, cellulose and xylose at concentrations of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3%, and nitrogen sources of yeast extract, MgSo₄.7H2O, peptone and K₂Hpo₄ at concentrations of 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4%, pH 4, 4.5, 5 and 5.5, and a temperature of 25° C, 28° C, 32 ° C and the number of 2, 3, and 4 inoculum particles of 5 mm² for the production of mycelium biomass of G. lucidum, in sugarcane molasses was studied, in completely randomized design experiments with four replicates for each treatment in vitro. Results: A comparison of the mean dry weight mycelium of G. lucidum produced with different treatments showed the significant differences between the treatments with a probability of 5%. The highest yield of G. lucidum was obtained in peptone with concentration of 0.3%, maltose with concentration of 0.2%, pH=5, 3 inoculum particles with 5mm² diameter, at 28°C. Conclusion: Sugar cane molasses can be used as a cheap and inexpensive medium for the biomass production of G. lucidum. For the first time this study showed that by adding peptone with concentration of 0.3%, maltose with concentration of 0.2%, to sugarcane molasses, with 3 particles of inoculum with 5mm² diameter, in pH=5, and 28°C, the highest biomass of this medicinal mushroom could be produced.

Introduction: Lysine motif receptor-like kinases (LysM-RLKs) play an important role in the defense reaction of plants to diseases and environmental stresses. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of chitin as a stimulus for the expression of genes that encode LysM-RLKs. Materials and Methods: The expression levels of three genes PGSC0003DMP400010799, PGSC0003DMP400010800 and PGSC0003DMP400061331, which encoded LysM-RLKs due to chitin treatment (150 μg / ml) in young seven-week potato leaves of Jely cultivar, were examined in treated and control leaves. Results: Analysis of the gene expression data showed that the expression of all three genes increased significantly due to the use of chitin compared to the control. Conclusion: Increasing the expression of genes encoding LysM-RLKs using chitin can be effective to induce systemic resistance to plant diseases and environmental stresses.

Introduction: Bacterial canker caused by Pseudomonas syringae is one of the most damaging diseases in apricots. This experiment was conducted to evaluate relative resistance to the disease in 22 selected local apricot hybrids including AD507, AD405, and HS731 which were recently released as Jalil, Parsi and Shanli. Material and Methods: Evaluation methods included artificial inoculation of two-year-old seedlings in an orchard and of cut shoots in the laboratory. Initially, the pathovar identity of localP. syringae strains were determined using LOPAT and GATTa tests and three isolates were used as inoculum. The inoculation was done in the seedling stem and after one year and 1.5 years, canker length was recorded. Result: The pathovar of all isolates was identified as P. syringae pv. syringae. The longest and shortest cankers were observed in AD1033 and AC113 with averages of 34.76 mm and 8.35 mm, respectively. The cut shoot bioassay was not practical for apricots. The hybrids were classified into four groups including highly resistant, resistant, moderately resistant, and susceptible. Conclusion: AD1033, AD1042, AD940, AD811, HS210, DM101, HS203 have been classified as susceptible and should not be used in breeding programs and orchard establishment/replacement. Jalil, Parsi, and Shanli were rated as resistant, and moderately resistant, respectively.