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Characterization of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Isolated from Paprika
Young-Jae Jeon1, Hyuk-Woo Kwon, Ji-Sun Nam
1Department of Microbiology and Institute of Basic Sciences, Dankook University, Cheonan, Chungnam 330-714, Korea.
Abstract:
A fungal isolate collected from infected paprika (Capsicum annuum var. grossum) was characterized as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum based on its ability of sclerotium formation, physiological and molecular properties. When the isolate was grown on potato dextrose agar, oatmeal agar, and malt extract agar, it grew most well on PDA. Optimal temperature and pH for its growth were 25℃ and pH 7, respectively. The fungal isolate produced sclerotia on PDA within 10 days, and the color and shape of the sclerotia were similar to those of S. sclerotiorum . The ITS rDNA regions including ITS1 and ITS2 and 5.8S sequences were amplified using ITS1F and ITS4 primers from the genomic DNAs of the paprika isolate and other known pathogenic S. sclerotiorum isolated from different crops in Korea, and their nucleotide sequences were determined. Sequence comparison analysis showed the ITS rDNA of the paprika isolate shares 100% sequence identity with those of S. sclerotiorum isolated from red pepper, lettuce and a S. sclerotiorum isolate registered in GenBank DNA database. Neighbor joining analysis based on the ITS rDNA sequence revealed the paprika isolate has very close phylogenetic relationships with known Sclerotinia sclerotiorum isolates. This is the first report that S. sclerotiorum has been found associated with paprika rot in paprika growing countries.
Insights
A new fungal pathogen, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, has been identified causing rot in paprika crops. This marks the first documented instance of this fungus affecting paprika plants globally.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Plant Pathology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Paprika (Capsicum annuum var. grossum) is susceptible to various fungal diseases.
- Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a known plant pathogen affecting numerous crops worldwide.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize a fungal pathogen isolated from infected paprika.
- To determine the phylogenetic relationship of the paprika isolate with known Sclerotinia sclerotiorum strains.
Main Methods:
- Morphological and physiological characterization of the fungal isolate.
- Optimal growth conditions (temperature, pH) were determined on different media.
- Molecular identification using ITS rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.
Main Results:
- The isolate formed sclerotia, grew optimally at 25°C and pH 7 on PDA.
- ITS rDNA sequence analysis confirmed 100% identity with Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.
- Phylogenetic analysis showed a close relationship with known S. sclerotiorum isolates.
Conclusions:
- The fungal isolate from paprika was identified as Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.
- This is the first report of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum causing paprika rot in paprika-growing regions.
- The findings contribute to understanding fungal diseases affecting Capsicum species.
