© Benaki Phytopathological Institute
Abstracts - 16th Hellenic Phytopathological Congress
71
study was the evaluation of five different
stimulants that belong to ammonium bro-
mide surfactants (A, B, C, D, E), for their abil-
ity to induce the plant defense mechanisms.
Pathogenicity experiments were performed
in
Arabidopsis thaliana
plants infected with
V. dahliae
or
P. syringae
pv.
Tomato
and to-
mato plants infected with
P. syringae
pv.
to-
mato
. The five surfactants were applied as
droplets in various concentrations on leaf
surfaces in order to determine the optimum
concentration of each agent that can limit
the disease spread. It was found that in case
of
V. dahliae
, factor D at the concentration of
10 mM, was the most effective compared to
other factors decreasing the disease severi-
ty by approx. 20%. In the case of
P. syringae
pv.
tomato,
no significant differences were
observed in the percentage of the disease
for all the treatments with the five factors.
Finally, in preliminary experiments investi-
gating the mode of action of the five factors,
it was found that factors C and D (at the con-
centration of 10 mM) had the ability to form
a zone of inhibition against the aforemen-
tioned two pathogens. Gene expression
studies demonstrated that ammonium bro-
mide surfactants A and B have the potential
to induce genes that play a key role in plant
defense in
A. thaliana
such as the PR-1 and
PR-5 Pathogen Related proteins.
Risk management measures to eradicate and prevent the spread of
the quarantine potato fungus
Synchytrium endobioticum
(Schilbersky)
Percival in Greece
Η. E
LEFTHERIADIS
1
, Ι. S
ARIGKOLI
1
, Κ.Β. S
IMOGLOU
1
, I. V
LOUTOGLOU
2
and D. G
ILPATHI
3
1
Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace, Regional Unit of Drama, Rural Economy
& Veterinary Directorate, Department of Quality and Phytosanitary Control,
Dioikitirion, GR-661 00 Drama, Greece.
2
Benaki Phytopathological Institute,
Department of Plant Pathology, Laboratory of Mycology, 8 St. Delta Str., GR-145
61 Kifissia, Athens, Greece.
3
Ministry of Rural Development and Food, Directorate
General of Plant Produce, Directorate of Plant Produce Protection, 150 Sygrou
Avenue, GR-176 71 Athens, Greece
In August 2011, during official plant health
surveys, the quarantine organism
Synchytri-
umendobioticum
(Council Directive2000/29/
EC) was detected for the first time in Greece,
in two potato (
Solanum tuberosum
L.) fields
in Perithori, Regional Unit of Drama. Galls of
irregular shape and various sizes were ob-
served on the stolons and tubers of infected
plants. Pathotype identification (as patho-
type 18) was made by the National Refer-
ence Centre (The Netherlands) on gall sam-
ples originating from the infested fields. The
traceability of the propagating material was
investigated and a large number of potato
fields in the area were inspected and test-
ed, with negative results. The local potato
producers were informed about the disease,
its impacts and the phytosanitary measures
to be implemented, in compliance with the
Ministerial Directives 259959/1984 (B’ 260)
and 456/5861/18-01-2012 (B’ 159). The two
fields were officially designated as infest-
ed, placed under phytosanitary supervi-
sion, and the produce was destroyed. A buf-
fer zone was defined around the infested
fields, based on the pathogen biology, the
disease epidemiology and the area topog-
raphy. In the present work, the phytosani-
tary measures implemented in the area with
the aim to manage the risk of disease spread
(e.g. a ban on grazing animals, prevention
of the movement of infested soil, disinfec-
tion of agricultural machinery and packing
equipment, etc.) and to eradicate the path-
ogen (e.g. a ban on potato cultivation in the
infested fields, cultivation of resistant pota-
to cultivars in the buffer zones, etc.) is pre-
sented.
