Phenotypic and Genomic Difference among Four Botryosphaeria Pathogens in Chinese Hickory Trunk Canker

Abstract

Botryosphaeria species are amongst the most widespread and important canker and dieback pathogens of trees worldwide, with B. dothidea as one of the most common Botryosphaeria species. However, the information related to the widespread incidence and aggressiveness of B. dothidea among various Botryosphaeria species causing trunk cankers is still poorly investigated. In this study, the metabolic phenotypic diversity and genomic differences of four Chinese hickory canker-related Botryosphaeria pathogens, including B. dothidea, B. qingyuanensis, B. fabicerciana, and B. corticis, were systematically studied to address the competitive fitness of B. dothidea. Large-scale screening of physiologic traits using a phenotypic MicroArray/OmniLog system (PMs) found B. dothidea has a broader spectrum of nitrogen source and greater tolerance toward osmotic pressure (sodium benzoate) and alkali stress among Botryosphaeria species. Moreover, the annotation of B. dothidea species-specific genomic information via a comparative genomics analysis found 143 B. dothidea species-specific genes that not only provides crucial cues in the prediction of B. dothidea species-specific function but also give a basis for the development of a B. dothidea molecular identification method. A species-specific primer set Bd_11F/Bd_11R has been designed based on the sequence of B. dothidea species-specific gene jg11 for the accurate identification of B. dothidea in disease diagnoses. Overall, this study deepens the understanding in the widespread incidence and aggressiveness of B. dothidea among various Botryosphaeria species, providing valuable clues to assist in trunk cankers management.

High-quality genome assembly and genetic transformation system of Lasiodiplodia theobromae strain LTTK16-3, a fungal pathogen of Chinese hickory

“…Previously, five Botryosphaeriaceae species have been reported to be associated with Chinese hickory trunk cankers, including Botryosphaeria dothidea , Botryosphaeria fabicerciana , Botryosphaeria qingyuanensis , Botryosphaeria corticis , and Lasiodiplodia theobromae ( 6 , 7 ). Notably, L. theobromae demonstrated the fastest growth rate, the highest tolerance to high temperatures, and the strongest pathogenicity to Chinese hickory, which might have the potential to become the dominant species ( 6 ).…”

Analysis of Delta(9) fatty acid desaturase gene family and their role in oleic acid accumulation in Carya cathayensis kernel

“…Oil extracted from nuts is used in cooking. With the awareness of its value, there is increasing research on this species, including grafting propagation ( Xu et al., 2017 ), flower development ( Fan et al., 2020 ), genomic and transcriptomic analysis of its fruit development ( Huang et al., 2019 ; Huang et al., 2020 ), nut quality ( Chen et al., 2021 ; Chen et al., 2022 ), and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses ( Sharma et al., 2020 ; Wu et al., 2020 ; Ma et al., 2023 ).…”