Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland DAMPING-OFF OF SCOTS PINE (PINUS SYLVESTRIS) SEEDLINGS IN 2004 AND 2005 IN NOWY DWÓR FOREST NURSERY VERSUS SOIL FUNGI COMMUNITIES 1 M. Bełka and M. Mańka Abstract In Nowy Dwór forest nursery Rhizoctonia spp. caused severe losses of pine seedlings both in 2004 and 2005. Chosen multinucleate and binucleate Rhizoctonia isolates were tested against the soil fungi communities of the year. All four soil fungi communities supported the growth of all the isolates tested in this study. The support of the soil fungi community was bigger in 2004 than in 2005. Key words: Rhizoctonia solani, Rhizoctonia spp., damping-off, seedlings, soil fungi community Introduction In Nowy Dwór forest nursery (Regional Directorate of State Forests Piła, Forest District Lipka, north-western Poland)damping-off of Scots pine seedlings occurs every year. The range of pathogen species is very wide but usually the species most favoured by the environment cause the disease (Bełka and Mańka 2008). Studies have shown that in the nursery in question the major damping-off causal agent were fungi belonging to the Rhizoctonia genus. To a smaller extent the seedlings were infected by Neonectria radicicola (formerly Cylindrocarpon destructans)and Fusarium spp. The representatives of Rhizoctonia genus are considered for decades the most severe pathogens of seedlings in many forest nurseries in Wielkopolska region (Gierczak 1963, 1967, Mańka et al. 2001, 2005, Bełka and Mańka 2008). 1 This study was supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education for the years 2008 2010 as research project N N309 134335. Phytopathologia 58: 63 67 The Polish Phytopathological Society, Poznań 2010 ISSN 2081-1756
64 M. Bełka and M. Mańka The objective of the work was to investigate the impact of soil fungi communities on Rhizoctonia spp. isolates that occurred in Nowy Dwór forest nursery in the years 2004 and 2005. Materials and methods Nowy Dwór forest nursery (Regional Directorate of State Forests Piła, Forest District Lipka)is situated on fresh mixed coniferous forest site (according to Polish forest site typology). Soil samples and Scots pine seedlings with damping-off symptoms were gathered in the first decade of June 2004 and 2005. Both were taken from places uniformely scattered along the whole bed. The seedlings were disinfected with 10% sodium hypochlorite and then pathogens were isolated onto Martin-Johnson agar medium. Other isolates were obtained with the bait method where Scots pine seeds were sown into the nursery soil. Isolation of Rhizoctonia isolates from the infested seedlings was performed in the same manner as above. Isolation of fungi from the soil samples was performed with Warcup (1950) soil plate method modified by K. Mańka (Johnson and Mańka 1961, Mańka 1964, Mańka and Salmanowicz 1987). All isolates of pathogenic fungi belonging to Rhizoctonia genus were examined for the number of nuclei in cell using the method by Bandoni (1979). Two Rhizoctonia spp. and six Rhizoctonia solani isolates were used for the biotic tests, to examin the effect of soil fungi communities on the pathogens growth. The biotic relations between the pathogens and the soil fungi communities were examined with the biotic series method by Mańka (Mańka 1974, Mańka and Mańka 1992, 1993, Bełka and Mańka 2008). The quality similarity of the fungal communities was calculated with Marczewski-Steinhaus formula (Kowalski 1996, Tyszkiewicz 2001). Results In 2004, 12 isolates of Rhizoctonia spp. were obtained from Nowy Dwór forest nursery. Two of them were binucleate and 10 multinucleate ones. Among the isolates obtained one year later no binucleate Rhizoctonia isolates were found. The multinucleate isolates obtained in 2004 and 2005 represented R. solani. Two multinucleate and two binucleate isolates from 2004 and four multinucleate ones from 2005 were selected for further study. In the soil fungi communities isolated from the nursery in both years, six isolates were common for both communities. In 2004 the community consisted of 251 isolates whilst in 2005 of 132. Nine most frequently occurring species from 2004 and eight from 2005, representing 86% and 94% of all the isolates, respectively, were considered in the biotic tests (Tables 1, 2).
Damping-off of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seedlings... 65 Table 1 Biotic effect of soil fungi community from Nowy Dwór forest nursery in 2004 on the growth of Rhizoctonia spp. isolates Species of fungus Frequency Isolates multinucleate binucleate R. 29 R. 33 R. 35 R. 37 IBE GBE IBE GBE IBE GBE IBE GBE Penicillium janczewskii 54 4 216 3 162 3 162 2 108 Truncatella hartigii 38 5 190 5 190 5 190 4 152 Chaetomium globosum 34 5 170 6 204 5 170 4 136 Penicillium daleae 29 3 87 4 116 3 87 2 58 Leptosphaeria coniothyrium 18 7 126 6 108 5 90 6 108 Fusarium oxysporum 17 5 85 4 68 4 68 6 102 Trichoderma harzianum 10 +6 +60 +8 +80 +7 +70 +5 +50 Umbelopsis vinacea 8 4 32 3 24 5 40 4 32 Clonostachys candelabrum 7 5 35 3 21 6 42 4 28 Summary biotic effect 881 813 779 774 IBE individual biotic effect, GBE general biotic effect. The only species showing antagonistic activity against Rhizoctonia isolates Trichoderma harzianum, was poorly represented in 2004 (10 isolates)and more frequent in 2005 (19). This resulted in the support of the community to fast growing isolates of Rhizoctonia spp. and in negative values of SBE. Table 2 Biotic effect of soil fungi community from Nowy Dwór forest nursery in 2005 on the growth of Rhizoctonia solani isolates (multinucleate) Isolates Species of fungus Frequency R. 43 R. 49 R. 52 R. 57 IBE GBE IBE GBE IBE GBE IBE GBE Umbelopsis vinacea 34 8 272 9 306 10 340 8 272 Fusarium oxysporum 27 5 135 6 162 8 216 6 162 Chaetomium globosum 22 4 88 4 88 6 132 5 110 Trichoderma viride 19 +4 +76 +3 +57 +3 +57 +4 +76 Clonostachys candelabrum 7 5 35 5 35 7 49 6 42 Penicillium daleae 5 7 35 6 30 9 45 7 35 Truncatella hartigii 5 6 30 6 30 8 40 7 30 Coniothyrium fuckelii 5 4 20 5 25 5 25 4 20 Summary biotic effect 539 619 790 595 IBE individual biotic effect, GBE general biotic effect.
66 M. Bełka and M. Mańka The supporting effect of soil fungi community on R. solani isolates growth was more pronounced in 2004 (SBE values from 881 to 813)than in 2005 (SBE values from 790 to 539; Tables 1, 2). In 2004 the soil fungi community supported the growth of R. solani isolates to a greater extent that the growth of Rhizoctonia spp. ones (Table 1). The quality similarity of the two communities isolated from the nursery, from the same bed, in 2004 and 2005 was 55%. Discussion In 2004 and 2005 Bełka and Mańka (2008)investigated also soil fungi communities in Garncarskibród forest nursery (Regional Directorate of State Forests Piła, Forest District Lipka, north-western Poland). The results obtained there were similar to the ones reported here. The supporting effect of soil fungi community on Rhizoctonia spp. isolates growth was also more supporting in 2004 (SBE values were 1559 up to 1150)than in 2005 (SBE values were 630 to 372). This could have been partly due, in both forest nurseries, to low air temperatures occurring from April to June 2004 in north-western part of Poland where both forest nurseries are situated. Both in Nowy Dwór (in 2004)and in Garncarskibród (in 2004 and 2005)the effect of the soil fungi communities supported the growth of R. solani isolates to a greater extent than the growth of binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. ones (Bełka and Mańka 2008). It seems that the more severe pathogen, R. solani, had bigger support of soil fungi communities than the weaker pathogen binucleate Rhizoctonia sp. The structure of the fungal community had an effect on its phytopathological function. The only species showing antagonistic activity against Rhizoctonia isolates Trichoderma harzianum, was represented by 10 isolates only in 2004, as compared to 251 isolates building up the community. This resulted in bigger support of the community to fast growing isolates of Rhizoctonia spp. and negative values of SBE, as compared to 2005 with 19 isolates of T. harzianum versus 132 fungal isolates in the community. Streszczenie ZGORZEL SIEWEK SOSNY ZWYCZAJNEJ (PINUS SYLVESTRIS) W SZKÓŁCE LEŚNEJ NOWY DWÓR W LATACH 2004 I 2005 NA TLE ZBIOROWISK GRZYBÓW GLEBOWYCH W szkółce leśnej Nowy Dwór należącej do Nadleśnictwa Lipka (RDLP Piła) zgorzel siewek sosny zwyczajnej, powodowana przez Rhizoctonia spp., co roku wywołuje znaczne szkody. W 2004 i 2005 roku oceniono wpływ zbiorowisk saprotroficznych grzybów glebowych na wzrost patogenów rodzaju Rhizoctonia.
Damping-off of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seedlings... 67 Zbiorowiska grzybów glebowych w 2004 roku bardziej sprzyjały wzrostowi patogenów Rhizoctonia spp. i R. solani niż w 2005 roku, co mogło być spowodowane utrzymywaniem się w kwietniu, maju oraz czerwcu 2004 roku temperatur powietrza niższych od średnich wieloletnich. Literature Bandoni R.J., 1979: Safranin O as a rapid stain for fungi. Mycologia 71: 873 874. Bełka M., Mańka M., 2008: The effect of soil fungi communities on Rhizoctonia spp., causing agents of Scots pine seedling damping-off in Garncarskibród forest nursery. Phytopathol. Pol. 49: 29 34. Gierczak M., 1963: Badania nad zgorzelą siewek sosny i modrzewia. Pr. Kom. Nauk Roln. Kom. Nauk Leśn. PTPN 15: 131 145. Gierczak M., 1967: Mikoflora gleb w szkółkach leśnych a pasożytnicza zgorzel siewek. Acta Mycol. 3: 1 49. Johnson L.F., Mańka K., 1961: A modification of Warcup s soil plate method for isolating soil fungi. Soil Sci. 92, 2: 79 83. Kowalski S., 1996: Biodiversity of soil fungi in converted stand of Pinus sylvestris L. as an indicator of environment degradation as the effect of industrial pollution. Phytopathol. Pol. 12: 163 175. Mańka K., 1964: Próby dalszego udoskonalenia zmodyfikowanej metody Warcupa izolowania grzybów z gleby. Pr. Kom. Nauk. Roln. Kom. Nauk Leśn. PTPN 17: 29 43. Mańka K., 1974: Zbiorowiska grzybów jako kryterium oceny wpływu środowiska na choroby roślin. Zesz. Probl. Post. Nauk Roln. 160: 9 23. Mańka K., Mańka M., 1992: A new method for evaluating interaction between soil inhabiting fungi and plant pathogens. IOBC/WPRS Bull. 15, 1: 73 75. Mańka K., Mańka M., 1993: Próba oceny dotychczasowych badań nad fitopatologicznym znaczeniem grzybów w środowisku rośliny gospodarza. In: Materiały z Sympozjum na temat: Biotyczne środowisko uprawne a zagrożenia chorobowe roślin. 7 9.09.1993 Olsztyn. PTFit, AR-T in Olsztyn, Olsztyn: 35 46. Mańka K., Mańka M., Stępniewska S., Kacprzak M., 2001: Damping-off of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seedlings in Wronczyn forest nursery versus soil fungi community. Phytopathol. Pol. 22: 163 170. Mańka K., Salmanowicz B., 1987: Udoskonalenie niektórych technik zmodyfikowanej metody płytek glebowych do izolowania grzybów z gleby z punktu widzenia potrzeb mikologii fitopatologicznej. Rocz. Nauk Roln. Ser. E 17: 35 46. Mańka M., Stępniewska-Jarosz S., Bełka M., 2005. Wpływ zbiorowiska grzybów z gleby nowo założonej grzędy w szkółce leśnej Wronczyn na wzrost patogena zgorzelowego Rhizoctonia solani Kühn. Rocz. AR Pozn. 371, Leśn. 43: 61 67. Tyszkiewicz Z., 2001: Zbiorowiska grzybów glebowych i ich wpływ na kształtowanie się zdrowotności naturalnych odnowień dwóch różnych grądów. Zesz. Nauk. P. Białost. Inż. Środ. 12: 143 185. Warcup J.H., 1950: The soil plate method for isolation of fungi from soil. Nature (Lond.)166: 117 118. Authors address: Marta Bełka M.Sc., Prof. Dr. hab. Małgorzata Mańka, Department of Forest Pathology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 71 C, 60 625 Poznań, Poland, e-mail: marta.belka@up.poznan.pl Accepted for publication: 18.12.2010