Population Dynamics of <i>Phytophthora infestans</i> in Egypt Reveals Clonal Dominance of 23_A1 and Displacement of 13_A2 Clonal Lineage

oleh: Sherif Mohamed El-Ganainy, Ahmed Mahmoud Ismail, Maali Shaker Soliman, Yosra Ahmed, Muhammad Naeem Sattar, Biju Vadakkemukadiyil Chellappan, David E. L. Cooke

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-03-01

Deskripsi

Potato (<i>Solanum tuberosum</i> L.) and tomato (<i>S. lycopersicum</i> L.) are the most economically important vegetable crops in Egypt and worldwide. The winter crop in Egypt is particularly prone to late blight caused by <i>Phytophthora infestans</i>. A total of 152 <i>P. infestans</i> isolates were isolated from the 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018 winter crops with 82 isolates from potato, 69 from tomato and one isolate from eggplant (<i>S. melongena</i> L.). All isolates belonged to the A1 mating type with no evidence of A2 or self-fertile strains. The majority of isolates (53%) were sensitive to metalaxyl, 32% were intermediate and 15% were resistant. Variation in aggressiveness between three <i>P. infestans</i> isolates EG-005 (13_A2) and EG-276 (23_A1) from potato, and EG-237 (23_A1) from eggplant was determined on tuber slices and leaflets of 10 potato cultivars. The eggplant isolate EG-237 showed higher sporulation capacity compared with the other tested isolates and was able to infect potato (Lady Rosetta cv) and tomato (Super Strain B cv). The simple sequence repeat (SSR) genotyping data showed that in contrast to our previous work (3-year period 2010–12) in which the proportion of 13_A2 lineage was 35%, all isolates belonged to the 23_A1 lineage. There was no evidence for the existence of the A2 mating type or 13_A2 lineage even in the destroyed field crops of some cultivars (Cara, Bellini and Valor) that had been reported as resistant to 23_A1. The data have been submitted into the Euroblight database to allow temporal and spatial genetic diversity to be examined in comparison with other regional <i>P. infestans</i> populations. The AVR2 and AVR2-like RXLR effector genes were amplified and sequenced. In the avirulent AVR2 gene, only one heterozygous SNP was detected at position 31 in the N terminus in six isolates out of eleven, whereas two heterozygous SNPs were detected at position 29 in the N-terminus and ninety-two in the C- terminus of the AVR2-like gene. This suggests that changes in the previously reported virulence profile of 23_A1 are not related to commercial cultivars carrying the R2 gene. In addition, this is the first report of <i>P. infestans</i> on eggplant in Egypt.