Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T00:32:21.873Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Myrothecium verrucaria for Control of Annual Morningglories in Sugarcane

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Rex W. Millhollon*
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS Sugarcane Research Unit, Southern Regional Research Center, Houma, LA 70360
Dana K. Berner
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit, Fort Detrick, MD 21702
Larry K. Paxson
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit, Fort Detrick, MD 21702
Bruce B. Jarvis
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
George W. Bean
Affiliation:
Department of Cell Biology/Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Conidia of Myrothecium verrucaria, sprayed in an aqueous phase–paraffinic crop oil emulsion (1:1 v/v) at 470 L/ha, controlled red, ivyleaf, smallflower, and tall morningglory plants (three- to five-leaf stage) by causing severe necrotic injury to leaves and stems. Conidia were not efficacious if applied in an aqueous carrier without oil. When applied in the field as directed postemergence treatments to sugarcane, a concentration of 4 × 108 conidia/ml generally provided > 90% death of morningglory, comparable with the atrazine standard at 2.2 kg ai/ha, and did not cause significant crop injury. Conidia produced on potato dextrose agar or rice flour slurry were about equally effective. When killed by autoclaving, conidia continued to be efficacious, indicating that the symptoms produced by the fungus were not primarily caused by infection. A high performance liquid chromatography analysis of filtrates from the fungal growth media or of harvested conidia showed the presence of several macrocyclic trichothecenes (MT), some known to be phytotoxins. These included verrucarin A and H, roridin A and H, and isororidin E for filtrates and verrucarin A and roridin A for conidia. However, only trace amounts of MT were detected in leaves of treated morningglory plants at 24 h after treatment and none at 48 and 96 h even though the fungus was isolated from leaves up to 14 d after treatment. Further study is needed to identify the causal agents responsible for the phytotoxicity produced by M. verrucaria and to assess potential of this organism as a mycoherbicide.

Type
Research
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

Abbas, H. K., Tak, H., Boyette, C. D., Shier, W. T., and Jarvis, B. B. 2001. Macrocyclic trichothecenes are undetectable in kudzu (Pueraria montana) plants treated with a high-producing isolate of Myrothecium verrucaria . Phytochemistry 58: 269276.Google Scholar
Barnett, H. L. and Hunter, B. B. 1972. Illustrated Genera of Imperfect Fungi. 3rd ed. Minneapolis, MN: Burgess. 241 p.Google Scholar
Connick, W. J. Jr., Daigle, D. J., and Quimby, P. C. Jr. 1991. An improved invert emulsion with high water retention for mycoherbicide delivery. Weed Technol. 5: 442444.Google Scholar
Cunfer, B. M. and Lukezic, F. L. 1970. A toxin from Myrothecium roridum and its possible role in Myrothecium leaf spot of red clover. Phytopathology 60: 341344.Google Scholar
Cutler, H. G. and Jarvis, B. B. 1985. Preliminary observations on the effects of macrocyclic trichothecenes on plant growth. Environ. Exp. Bot. 25: 115128.Google Scholar
Daigle, D. J., Connick, W. J. Jr., Boyette, C. D., Jackson, M. A., and Dorner, J. W. 1998. Solid-state fermentation plus extrusion to make biopesticide granules. Biotechnol. Tech. 12: 715719.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Domsch, K. H., Gams, W., and Anderson, T. H. 1980. Myrothecium. Volume 1. In Compendum of Soil Fungi. New York: Academic. pp. 481487.Google Scholar
Jarvis, B. B. 1991. Macrocyclic trichothecenes. In Sharma, R. P. and Salunkhe, D. K., eds. Mycotoxins and Phytoalexins. Boca Raton, FL: CRC. pp. 361421.Google Scholar
Jarvis, B. B., Pavanasasivam, G., and Bean, G. A. 1985. Mycotoxin production from Myrothecium species. In Lacey, J., ed. Trichothecenes and Other Mycotoxins. New York: J. Wiley. pp. 221231.Google Scholar
Kuti, J. O., Ng, T. J., and Bean, G. A. 1989. Possible involvement of a pathogen-produced trichothecene metabolite in Myrothecium leaf spot of muskmelon. Physiol. Mol. Plant Pathol. 34: 4154.Google Scholar
Walker, H. L. and Tilley, A. M. 1997. Evaluation of an isolate of Myrothecium verrucaria from sicklepod (Senna obtusifolia) as a potential mycoherbicide agent. Biol. Control 10: 104112.Google Scholar
Warrior, P., Rehberger, L. A., Beach, M., Grau, P. A., Kirfman, G. W., and Conley, J. M. 1999. Commercial development and introduction of DiTera, a new nematicide. Pestic. Sci. 55: 376379.Google Scholar
Yang, S. M., Dowler, W. M., Schaad, N. W., and Connick, W. J. Jr. 1998. Method for the control of weeds with weakly virulent or non-virulent plant pathogens. U.S. Patent 5,795,845.Google Scholar
Yang, S. M. and Jong, S. C. 1995a. Host range determination of Myrothecium verrucaria isolated from leafy spurge. Plant Dis. 79: 994997.Google Scholar
Yang, S. M. and Jong, S. C. 1995b. Factors influencing pathogenicity of Myrothecium verrucaria isolated from Euphorbia esula on species of Euphorbia . Plant Dis. 79: 9981002.Google Scholar