Plant Pathology (2022) 71, 1570-1578

Carol Kälin, Anna Berlin, Agnese Kolodinska Brantestam, Mukesh Dubey, Anna-Kerstin Arvidsson, Paul Riesinger, Malin Elfstrand and Magnus Karlsson (2022)
Genetic diversity of the pea root pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches in Europe
Plant Pathology 71 (7), 1570-1578
Abstract: The oomycete pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches causes root rot in various legume species. In this study we focused on A. euteiches causing root rot in pea (Pisum sativum), thereby being responsible for severe yield losses in pea production. We aimed to understand the genetic diversity of A. euteiches in Europe, covering a north-to-south gradient spanning from Sweden, Norway and Finland to the UK, France and Italy. A collection of 85 European A. euteiches strains was obtained, all isolated from infected pea roots from commercial vining pea cultivation fields. The strains were genotyped using 22 simple-sequence repeat markers. Multilocus genotypes were compiled and the genetic diversity between individual strains and population structure between countries was analysed. The population comprising strains from Italy was genetically different and did not share ancestry with any other population. Also, strains originating from Finland and the eastern parts of Sweden were found to be significantly different from the other populations, while strains from the rest of Europe were more closely related. A subset of 10 A. euteiches strains from four countries was further phenotyped on two susceptible pea genotypes, as well as on one genotype with partial resistance towards A. euteiches. All strains were pathogenic on all pea genotypes, but with varying levels of disease severity. No correlation between the genetic relatedness of strains and virulence levels was found. In summary, our study identified three genetically distinct groups of A. euteiches in Europe along a north-to-south gradient, indicating local pathogen differentiation.
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Database assignments for author(s): Anna Berlin, Mukesh Dubey, Magnus Karlsson

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
molecular biology - genes
surveys/sampling/distribution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Aphanomyces euteiches	Pea (Pisum sativum)	Finland
	Aphanomyces euteiches	Pea (Pisum sativum)	France
	Aphanomyces euteiches	Pea (Pisum sativum)	Italy
	Aphanomyces euteiches	Pea (Pisum sativum)	Norway
	Aphanomyces euteiches	Pea (Pisum sativum)	Sweden
	Aphanomyces euteiches	Pea (Pisum sativum)	United Kingdom