Journal of Plant Pathology (2003) 85, p. 286 (Boccongelli et al.)

C. Boccongelli, A. Buzi, G. Chilosi, P. Magro and R.A. Bressan (2003)
Evaluation of Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes for resistance to damping-off caused by Pythium sylvaticum and stem rot caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Journal of Plant Pathology 85 (4), 286-286
X Meeting, Italian Society for Plant Pathology (poster)
Abstract: Arabidopsis thaliana has become widely used as a model organism for the study of molecular and cellular biology of plants, including gene functional analysis. Currently, functional analysis is largely based on laboratory-induced mutants that are selected in forward and reverse genetic studies. An alternative source of genetic variability is represented by that naturally occurring among Arabidopsis ecotypes. The goal of the present study was to screen different Arabidopsis ecotypes for their natural resistance to Pythium and Sclerotinia, in order to verify the possibility to use them for studying the genetic bases of resistance to these two organisms, comprised among the most destructive soilborne pathogens on a wide range of crops. P. sylvaticum and S. sclerotiorum were isolated and identified from naturally infected A. thaliana plants. Twenty-three A. thaliana ecotypes were soil-inoculated with P. sylvaticum and S. sclerotiorum, then transferred in a growth chamber, under a 16 hr day length at 21°C. A factorial design with three replicates in randomized blocks was applied. Percentage of plant survival at 6 and 14 days post inoculation was assessed. Among tested ecotypes, significant differences were found in the degree of resistance to the diverse pathogens, which probably reflect the existence of a differential gene activation in the same plant genotype. In order to identify differences in Arabidopsis resistance gene expression, molecular analysis on these ecotypes will represent the second step of the present study.

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
resistance/tolerance/defence of host

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
	Globisporangium sylvaticum