Plant Health Infographics by the Society of Chemical Industry - Horticulture and Agri-Food ECR Group

Very Happy Fascinat ion of Plant s Day! Featuring plant pests and diseases on #PlantDay

Int roduct ion Fascinat ion of Plant s Day was launched by plant scient ist s across t he world under t he umbrella of t he European Plant Science Organisat ion (EPSO).

W hilst t here are no in-person event s t his year, we are going digit al, celebrat ing wit h lot s of infographics!

As 2020 was declared as t he Int ernat ional Year of Plant Healt h by t he UN, we will be highlight ing plant diseases and pest s.

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Aphids Featuring plant pests and diseases on #PlantDay

What & where Aphids are pest insects that eat a wide range of plants, from food crops to garden flowers! They can also spread viruses, such as the Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV), between plants!

Sympt oms Plants infested with aphids will usually have visible colonies, wilting and premature death of leaves and a build up of honeydew. The aphids may also transmit a virus to the plant, or the honeydew may stimulate the growth of a fungus.

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Fun f act One of t he aphid sex pheromone component s is t he same as t he act ive compound in cat nip!

References Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, 2015, The encyclopedia of pests and natural enemies in fields, of 43? 76.L Lichman, B., Godden, G., Hamilton, J., Palmer, L., Kamileen, M., Zhao, D., Vaillancourt, B., Wood, J., Sun, M., Kinser, T., Henry, L., Rodriguez-Lopez, C., Dudareva, N., Soltis, D., Soltis, P., Buell, C. and O?Connor, S., 2020. The evolutionary origins of the cat attractant nepetalactone in catnip.Science Advances, 6(20), p.eaba0721.

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Fall Army Worm Spodoptera frugiperda

Featuring plant pests and diseases on #PlantDay

What & where

The fall army worm or FAW is a type of moth that eats crop plants.

It was originally a problem in North & South America, but has now spread to Africa and is quickly becoming a global threat to food security.

The Name The species name, frugiperda, originates from the Latin for 'lost fruit' due to the species' crop destroying abilities. The genus Spodoptera comes from the Greek for dusty-winged.

Fun f act As an adult moth, the FAW can travel over 100 km per night. It has been known to travel 1000 km in 30 hours!

References Fao.org. 2020.Fall Armyworm | Food And Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations. [online] Available at: http://www.fao.org/fall-armyworm/en/>Goergen, G., Kumar, P., Sankung, S., Togola, A. and Tamò, M., 2016. First Report of Outbreaks of the Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J E Smith) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), a New Alien Invasive Pest in West and Central Africa.PLOS ONE, 11(10), p.e0165632.

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Sept or ia Leaf Blot ch

Zymoseptoria tritici

Featuring plant pests and diseases on #PlantDay

What & where A fungal disease of wheat.

Zymoseptoria can be found almost anywhere wheat grows! It's a really big problem in European countries like the U.K. and France.

The Name It's had lots of different names, but scientists have recently settled on Zymoseptoria tritici. 'The 'tritici' refers to the scientific name for its host plant, wheat.

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Healt h y vs in f ect ed w h eat leaf

Fun f act This pathogen accounts for 70% of all fungicide applications in Europe!

References: https:// ahdb.org.uk/ septoriatritici Fones, H. & Gurr, S. The impact of Septoria tritici Blotch disease on wheat: An EU perspective.Fungal Genetics and Biology79, 3-7.

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Ash Dieback Hymenoscyphus fraxineus

What & where

Featuring plant pests and diseases on #PlantDay

Ash dieback is an ascomycota fungus which effects Ash trees.

It causes spotting and loss of leaves, as well as bark lesions, epicormic growth, and eventual death of the tree.

The Good News Although estimated to lead to the loss of 95% of the UK's trees, studies on Scandinavian trees are showing some natural resistance!

Fun f act Ash trees are best known for their high flexibility and resistance to splitting, making them a perfect material for building parts of early aircraft!

References McKinney, L.V., Nielsen, L.R., Collinge, D.B., Thomsen, I.M., Hansen, J.K. and KjĂŚr, E.D. (2014), The ash dieback crisis: genetic variation in resistance can prove a long-term solution. Plant Pathol, 63: 485-499. doi:10.1111/ ppa.12196

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Fusarium wilt What & where The genus Fusarium harbours many notorious soil-borne pat hogenic fungi.

One of the most economically important Fusarium species is F. oxysporum consisting of 100 host-specific lineages which are widely distributed.

Th e f u n gi pr odu ces m acr ocon idia, m icr ocon idia an d ch lam ydospor es

Sympt oms As its name suggests, the microscopic fungi leads to the wilting of the plant as it enters the roots, spreads up the stem and starts to block the nutrient and water flow. Try cutting the stem and roots and check for dark discolouration.

m e t s a n a Ban n o i t a r u d i scol o

Featuring plant pests and diseases on #PlantDay

Fungi f act

Fusarium wilt of bananas are currently threatening the international industry. This PLEASE, be careful when disease is thought to have travelling in between spread from Asia across countries. DO NOT take the world by humans. plants with you and clean your shoes!

References

Beastie The Bug is travelling the world to raise awareness on plant health during the International Year of Plant Health

Fusarium wilts, RHS. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=685 Michielse, C.B. and Rep, M., 2009. Pathogen profile update: Fusarium oxysporum. Molecular Plant Pathology, 10(3), pp.311-324.

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Fire blight Erwinia amylovora

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What & where Fire blight is a disease caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. It affects members of Pomoideae (e.g. apples, pears). It can decimate orchards within a single season. A breakout in north-west USA in 1998 led to $US68 million worth of losses.

Sympt oms The bacteria enters at the tip of branches, travels down the tree which leads to dieback. The leaves turn brown but do not drop off and the trees develop reddish water soaked lesions on the bark.

Fun f act One way to detect fire blight on flowers is to gently touch or wash off the flowers onto Petri dishes with selective media.

References Vanneste, J.L. ed., 2000. Fire blight: the disease and its causative agent, Erwinia amylovora. CABI.

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Alternaria leaf blight

Featuring plant pests and diseases on #PlantDay

What & where Alternaria alternata is a foliar fungi which causes leaf spot and other diseases in hundreds of plants species. You might find it on brassicas (oilseed rape, cabbage) or cucurbits in your garden.

Sympt oms The fungus can be airborne and can survive on dead plant residues. On the leaves, it causes lesions and it resides in the centre of the lesion, which is surrounded by an un-invaded chlorotic halo.

Fun f act This fungus is frequently associated with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, bronchial asthma, and allergic sinusitis.

References Thomma, B.P., 2003. Alternaria spp.: from general saprophyte to specific parasite. Molecular Plant Pathology, 4(4), pp.225-236.

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Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria

What & where Desert locusts belong to the grasshopper family (Acrididae) and can be found in northern Africa, the Sahel, the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Asia.

The crowding of solitary locusts together induces a change and the insects transform into what's known as their gregarious phase. The former can form swarms which can decimate crops.

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Gr egar i o us (f or mi n g sw ar ms)

Sad f act s Swarms can increase t o 70 billion insect s! A 1 2 km swarm will eat t he same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people.

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References FAO Emergency: Desert Locust: http:// www.fao.org/ emergencies/ crisis/ desertlocust/ FAO Locust Watch: http:// www.fao.org/ ag/ locusts/ en/ info/ 2094/ index.htmlhttp:// www.fao.org/ ag/ locusts/ en/ info/ 2094/ index.html

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St em Rust (Puccinia graminis)

What & where Puccinia graminisis a fungus infecting cereals and grasses. It is an obligate biotroph, meaning that it needs nutrients from the host and cannot live without it. P. graminis, the causal agent of stem rust, has caused devastating epidemics wherever wheat is grown.

Featuring plant pests and diseases on #PlantDay

Fun f act Numa Pompilius (715?672 BC) described the Roman festival of Robigalia that was established to protect cereal crops through prayer and sacrifice to the rust gods. Later Arist ot le and Theophrast us associated cereal rust epidemics with warm, wet weather.

References Leonard, K.J. and Szabo, L.J., 2005. Stem rust of small grains and grasses caused by Puccinia graminis. Molecular Plant Pathology, 6(2), pp.99-111.

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Cucumber Mosaic Virus What & where Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is one of the most common plant RNA viruses, causing yellowing and stunted growth. It has the reputation of having the widest host range of any known plant virus.

Featuring plant pests and diseases on #PlantDay

Spreading Aphids are most likely to transmit the virus but it may also be transmitted by gardening tools.

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Fun f act A researcher found that the leaf hairs of cucumber plants contain a high concentration of CMV particles!

References Gallitelli, D., 2000. The ecology of Cucumber mosaic virus and sustainable agriculture. Virus research, 71(1-2), pp.9-21.

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Cassava frogskin disease What & where Cassava frogskin disease (CFSD) is caused by an infection of a phyt oplasma. Frogskin mostly attacks cassava roots, reducing their diameter, but some varieties may also show symptoms in leaves such as mosaic, chlorosis, curling, and/or curvature in leaf.

Featuring plant pests and diseases on #PlantDay

Phyt opl asmas?

Phytoplasmas are small wall-less pathogenic bacteria. Phytoplasmas are restricted to, and multiply in the phloem of their host plants and the organs of their insect vectors. They can cause wide range of symptoms including stunting, little leaf, and vascular discoloration. Only molecular methods can confirm the presences of phytoplasmas.

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Fun f act Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is t he fourt h most import ant commodit y aft er rice, wheat and corn; a major component in t he diet of more t han 1 billion people!

References Cassava diseases: https:// core.ac.uk/ download/ pdf/ 132690801.pdf

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Powdery Mildew What & where Powdery mildew is caused by fungi belonging to the order Erysiphaceae which can infect over 650 monocot and over 9000 dicot plant species. It prefers humid conditions

Featuring plant pests and diseases on #PlantDay

Cont rol In your garden, make sure you remove all infected leaves and make sure your plants are well drained. Commercially, there are two strategies to control powdery mildews commercially: to use resistant varieties or to use fungicides.

Fungi in a f ungi

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In 1870, Anton De Bary made drawings of mycoparasit es (i.e. fungi that parasitise other fungi) wit hin powdery mildews. It was only last year that scientists could visualise these mycoparasites with the use of genetic transformation so the mycoparasite emit green light when examined with fluorescence microscopy.

References Németh, M.Z., Pintye, A., Horváth, Á.N., Vági, P., Kovács, G.M., Gorfer, M. and Kiss, L., 2019. Green fluorescent protein transformation sheds more light on a widespread mycoparasitic interaction. Phytopathology, 109(8), pp.1404-1416.

Schulze-Lefert, P. and Vogel, J., 2000. Closing the ranks to attack by powdery mildew. Trends in plant science, 5(8), pp.343-348.

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