Puccinia myrsiphylli

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Bridal creeper rust
CSIRO ScienceImage 7873 Bridal creeper rust.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Pucciniomycetes
Order: Pucciniales
Family: Pucciniaceae
Genus: Puccinia
Species:
P. myrsiphylli
Binomial name
Puccinia myrsiphylli
(Thüm.) G.Winter (1884)
Synonyms [1]
  • Uredo myrsiphylliThüm. (1877)
  • Dicaeoma myrsiphylli(Thüm.) Kuntze (1898)

Puccinia myrsiphylli is a rust fungus in the genus Puccinia , family Pucciniaceae, and is native to South Africa. [2] It has been tested, introduced, and targeted in Australia and New Zealand as an effective biocontrol agent for Asparagus asparagoides , also known as bridal creeper.

Contents

Taxonomy

Puccinia myrsiphylli was initially described by Felix von Thümen in 1877. Ethel M. Doidge noted Paul Sydow's 1884 monograph as a resource for this species. [3] P. myrsiphylli was described further in 1926. [4] Later, in 1932, Doidge made an entry describing each section starting with: “[Aecidia],” “Uredo-sori hypophyllous,” and “Teleuto-sori”. She ends this entry by writing, “I have not seen the aecidia.” [3] P. myrsiphylli is in the family Pucciniaceae, and the host-substratum are leaves that are alive from Myrsiphyllum falciforme. [5]

Description

Puccinia myrsiphylli is a rust fungus with the following characteristics: “Uredospores ellipsoid or sub-globose, pale yellow 30-40 x 26-30 μ; epispore hyaline, about 1.5 μ thick, closely and finely echinulate and with 4-5 scattered germ pores…Teleutospores oblong, cuneate or clavate, apex rounded, acuminate or truncate, usually attenuate at the base, usually gently constricted at the septum, light brown, darker at the apex, 43-70 x 17-28 μ; epispore smooth, about 1.5 μ thick, thickened at the apex (up to 7 μ); germ pores obscure, pedicel short, fragile, hyaline or tinged with brown." [3]

The rust fungus shows up in early to late autumn with little, orange structures on the top of the leaves of the A. Asparagoides, and looking like warts. [6] This is the spermagonia and pycnia stage of the disease cycle. [6] Next, there are aecia, which take the form of cup-shapes and are also orange, but they are on the under side of the leaves. [6] The aecia produce aeciospores, and lead to uredinia. [6] Uredinia and telia are on the under side of the leaves, but also on stems. [6] The uredeina are also orange and in the shape of pustules, while the telia are a brown-black color, but also in the shape of pustules. [6] The uredinia produce urediniospores, which are dispersed by the wind. [6] Telia occur several weeks later. [6] Then the telia produce thick-walled resting spores called teliospores. [6]

P. myrsiphylli is likely macrocyclic because it includes all five spores stages. [6] It is also likely autoecious because field reports show that pycnia, aecia, uredinia, and telia of P. myrsiphylli were found on A. asparagoides. [7] No other host plants outside of A. asparagoides are required for P. myrsiphylli to complete its life cycle. [7] The researchers in this study found dormant teliospores on extremely diseased cladodes and stems around spring/early summer time in the winter/rainfall region. [7] This suggests that the fungus survives the dry summer months on debris, when above-ground biomass of host plants have stopped growing. [7] It is the thick-walled teliospores that make sure the rust can survive when bridal creeper deteriorates during the summer. [6] P. myrsipjylli recycles each 3–4 weeks during the summer. [6]

P. myrsiphylli has two natural enemies: Cecidomyiidae larva and Eudarluca caricis. [7] However, these two enemies do not look like they have a major impact on P. myrsiphylli. [7]

Distribution and habitat

Puccinia myrsiphylli is found in Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. [5] P. myrsiphylli was present in South Africa in winter regions, aseasonal regions, and summer rainfall regions in all regions where there is widespread A. asparagoides. [7] In southern Africa, the occurrence of P. myrsiphylli was dependent on the existence of living foliage of its host plant and season of rainfall. [7] P. myrsiphylli is a very flexible pathogen, as shown by its ability to distribute widely throughout many different South African climate regions. [7] It can also survive harsh, dry conditions without its host. [7] P. myrsiphylli can be found in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. [7] [8]

Biological control agent

Surveys identified Puccinia myrsiphylli as a possible biological control agent for A. asparagoides, which is also called bridal creeper. [9] Bridal creeper is originally from southern Africa, and has been in Australia since 1871. [10] Surveys were conducted in South Africa to find out if P. myrsiphylli would be able to spread as a possible biological control for A. asparagoides. [7] Specificity information was also gathered because safety is a key criterion for introduction of a biological control agent into a different country. [7] A study showed that it had a limited host range, which supported the introduction of the rust into Australia. [7] In 2000, P. myrsiphylli was approved for introduction into Australia (Kleinjan et al., 2004). [7] Conservationists see bridal creeper in areas of native vegetation as a threat, and had approved it as a target of biological control. [10]

In New South Wales, Australia, P. myrsiphylli has been monitored, and there is reason for optimism that it is affecting the growth of A. asparagoides. [7] From July 2000 to November 2001, the rust was monitored at three places in New South Wales: Scheyville National Park near Windsor, Eurobodalla National Park near Moruya, and Bar Beach near Narooma. [4] The monitoring showed that the epidemic could have a heavy and detrimental impact on A. asparagoides. [4] However, the spread was up to 30 m in the first four months after the release, which is relatively slow. [4] A glasshouse experiment was also done. [4] The result was that in the infected plant, the number of tubers, rhizome length, and shoot mass decreased by 60%. [4] P. myrsiphylli builds up resistance and oversummering inoculum which allows it to survive the harsh, dry summer and to return for the next growing season. [4]

The rust fungus Puccinia myrsiphylli requires 8 hours or more of the leaf being wet in order to infect bridal creeper. [4] Between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius is the optimal infection temperature. [4] However, infection is totally stopped at 25 degrees Celsius. [4] In tests, P. myrsiphylli only develops successfully on A. asparagoides. [4] Every other species tested were unaffected or very resistant to the rust. [4] For P. myrsiphylli to be effective, it needs to attack the bridal creeper's root system because 90% of bridal creeper's biomass is below-ground rhizomes and tubers. [4] The way P. myrsiphylli works is by infecting leaves and stems, which cause heavy defoliation of bridal creeper plants. [4] It limits the nutrients and water available for the host plant's production of vegetation and reproduction. [4] P. myrsiphylli also reduces the photosynthetic surface, which destroys leaf tissue. [4] The rust destroys the capacities of A. asparagoides in 20 weeks. [4] Morin believes it will likely take several years for P. myrsiphylli to decrease the biomass below ground. [4]

P. myrsiphylli has gone above and beyond expectations, because it did not die and recolonized at specific places in between seasons. [6] The rust is particularly effective in coastal areas, where conditions are ripe for epidemic growth. [6] Those who use, develop, and manage land in Australia have excitedly used P. myrsiphylli at more than 2,500 locations around Australia. [6] Combining P. myrsiphylli with another biological control agent, a leafhopper, Zygina sp., acted together to lessen the growth of rhizome length and number and biomass of tubers in A. asparagoides. [11] In addition, a long-term 7-year study has shown decreases in seedling, shoot numbers, and above-ground biomass of A. asparagoides across all sites that were observed (using the biological control agents of the leafhopper and P. myrsiphylli). [12] Some sites recorded greater declines in A. asparagoides on trellises than others due to varying climate and leafhopper factors. [12] Due to the expansive nature of the study, scientists feel confident that the biocontrol agents of leafhopper and Puccinia myrsiphylli played a role in the decline of A. asparagoides. [12]

After P. myrsiphylli was introduced in Australia, it was also detected in New Zealand. [9] New Zealand is also trying to find ways to deal with undesirable weeds. [13] Invasive exotic weeds have a negative impact on production and biodiversity. [13] Puccinia myrsiphylli has spread across bridal creeper's range in northern New Zealand. [8] It as an effective biocontrol agent in New Zealand. [8] P. myrsiphylli is seen as a high quality example of effective biological control in New Zealand's 90-year history of weed biocontrol studies. [13] P. myrsiphylli is likely effective by itself, but it has also been tested with other fungal pathogens. [8] For example, it has been tested with Colletotrichum Gloeosporioides. [8] In that test C. Gloeosporioides was only mildly effective on its own. [8] This illustrates that P. myrsiphylli is seen as the most impactful biological control agent in this situation. [6] The Environmental Risk Management Authority of New Zealand was attempting to “de-new” the classification of Puccinia myrsiphylli, which would allow those who use, develop, and manage land in Australia to manipulate P. myrsiphylli for even greater biocontrol effectiveness. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rust (fungus)</span> Order of fungi

Rusts are fungal plant pathogens of the order Pucciniales causing plant fungal diseases.

<i>Asparagus</i> (genus) Genus of flowering plants

Asparagus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Asparagoideae. It comprises up to 300 species. Most are evergreen long-lived perennial plants growing from the understory as lianas, bushes or climbing plants. The best-known species is the edible Asparagus officinalis, commonly referred to as just asparagus. Some other members of the genus, such as Asparagus densiflorus, are grown as ornamental plants.

<i>Cirsium arvense</i> Species of flowering plant

Cirsium arvense is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native throughout Europe and western Asia, northern Africa and widely introduced elsewhere. The standard English name in its native area is creeping thistle. It is also commonly known as Canada thistle and field thistle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stem rust</span> Fungus disease of cereal crops

Stem rust, also known as cereal rust, black rust, red rust or red dust, is caused by the fungus Puccinia graminis, which causes significant disease in cereal crops. Crop species that are affected by the disease include bread wheat, durum wheat, barley and triticale. These diseases have affected cereal farming throughout history. The annual recurrence of stem rust of wheat in North Indian plains was discovered by K.C. Mehta. Since the 1950s, wheat strains bred to be resistant to stem rust have become available. Fungicides effective against stem rust are available as well.

<i>Asparagus asparagoides</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae

Asparagus asparagoides, commonly known as bridal creeper, bridal-veil creeper, gnarboola, smilax or smilax asparagus, is a herbaceous climbing plant of the family Asparagaceae native to eastern and southern Africa. Sometimes grown as an ornamental plant, it has become a serious environmental weed in Australia and New Zealand.

<i>Phragmidium violaceum</i> Species of fungus

Phragmidium violaceum is a plant pathogen native to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. It primarily infects Rubus species.

<i>Puccinia asparagi</i> Species of fungus

Puccinia asparagi is the causative agent of asparagus rust. It is an autoecious fungus, meaning that all stages of its life cycle – pycniospores, aeciospores, and teliospores – all develop upon the same host plant . Rust diseases are among the most destructive plant diseases, known to cause famine following destruction of grains, vegetables, and legumes. Asparagus rust occurs wherever the plant is grown and attacks asparagus plants during and after the cutting season. Asparagus spears are usually harvested before extensive rust symptoms appear. Symptoms are first noticeable on the growing shoots in early summer as light green, oval lesions, followed by tan blister spots and black, protruding blisters later in the season. The lesions are symptoms of Puccinia asparagi during early spring, mid-summer and later summer to fall, respectively. Severe rust infections stunt or kill young asparagus shoots, causing foliage to fall prematurely, and reduce the ability of the plant to store food reserves. The Puccinia asparagi fungus accomplishes this by rust lowering the amounts of root storage metabolites. The infected plant has reduced plant vigor and yield, often leading to death in severe cases. Most rust diseases have several stages, some of which may occur on different hosts; however, in asparagus rust all the life stages occur on asparagus. Because of this, many observers mistake the different stages of the Puccinia asparagi life cycle as the presence of different diseases. The effects of Puccinia asparagi are present worldwide wherever asparagus is being grown. Asparagus rust is a serious threat to the asparagus industry.

<i>Puccinia coronata</i> Species of fungus

Puccinia coronata is a plant pathogen and causal agent of oat and barley crown rust. The pathogen occurs worldwide, infecting both wild and cultivated oats. Crown rust poses a threat to barley production, because the first infections in barley occur early in the season from local inoculum. Crown rusts have evolved many different physiological races within different species in response to host resistance. Each pathogenic race can attack a specific line of plants within the species typical host. For example, there are over 290 races of P. coronata. Crops with resistant phenotypes are often released, but within a few years virulent races have arisen and P. coronata can infect them.

<i>Puccinia helianthi</i> Species of fungus

Puccinia helianthi is a macrocyclic and autoecious fungal plant pathogen that causes rust on sunflower. It is also known as "common rust" and "red rust" of sunflower.

<i>Puccinia thaliae</i> Species of fungus

Puccinia thaliae is the causal agent of canna rust, a fungal disease of Canna. Symptoms include yellow to tan spots on the plant's leaves and stems. Initial disease symptoms will result in scattered sori, eventually covering the entirety of the leaf with coalescing postulates. Both leaf surfaces, although more predominant on the underside (abaxial) of the leaf, will show yellow to brownish spore-producing these pustulate structures, and these are the signs of the disease. Spots on the upper leaf-surface coalesce and turn to brown-to-black as the disease progresses. Infection spots will become necrotic with time, with small holes developing in older leaves. These infected leaves eventually become dry and prematurely fall.

<i>Puccinia</i> Genus of rust fungi

Puccinia is a genus of fungi. All species in this genus are obligate plant pathogens and are known as rusts. The genus contains about 4000 species.

<i>Puccinia monoica</i> Species of fungus

Puccinia monoica is a parasitic rust fungus of the genus Puccinia that inhibits flowering in its host plant and radically transforms host morphology in order to facilitate its own sexual reproduction.

<i>Puccinia jaceae <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> solstitialis</i> Species of fungus

Puccinia jaceae var. solstitialis is a species of fungus in the Pucciniaceae family. It is a plant pathogen that causes rust. Native to Eurasia, it is the first fungal pathogen approved in the United States as a biological control agent to curb the growth of the invasive weed yellow starthistle.

<i>Puccinia poarum</i> Species of fungus

Puccinia poarum, a species of fungus, known as the coltsfoot gall rust, or meadow grass rust, is a plant pathogen. This fungal parasite forms a yellow to orange gall, 1–2 cm in diameter, on the underside of leaves of coltsfoot. It also infects but does not gall grasses of the family Poaceae. P. poarum is a genetically diverse species that has been reported on at least seventy plant hosts. It was originally found on Poa fertilis and Poa nemoralis in Denmark in 1877.

<i>Parthenium hysterophorus</i> Species of flowering plant

Parthenium hysterophorus is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the American tropics. Common names include Santa-Maria, Santa Maria feverfew, whitetop weed, and famine weed. In India, it is locally known as carrot grass, congress grass or gajar ghas or dhanura. It is a common invasive species in India, Australia, and parts of Africa.

<i>Entyloma ageratinae</i> Species of fungus

Entyloma ageratinae, commonly known as the mist flower smut, is a leaf smut fungus and plant pathogen widely employed as a biological herbicide in the control of the invasive plant Ageratina riparia. The pathogen was first identified in Jamaica in 1974 and was isolated as a distinct species in 1988.

<i>Puccinia mariae-wilsoniae</i> Species of fungus

Puccinia mariae-wilsoniae, commonly known as the spring beauty rust, is a species of rust fungus found in North America. A plant pathogen, it grows on the leaves of the spring beauty flowering plants Claytonia caroliniana and C. virginica.

Phakopsora euvitis is a rust fungus that causes disease of grape leaves. This rust fungus has been seen in regions including: Eastern Asia, Southern Asia, Southwestern Brazil, the Americas, and northern Australia. It is widely distributed in eastern and southern Asia but was first discovered on grapevines in Darwin, Australia in 2001 and was identified as Asian grapevine leaf rust by July 2007.

Melampsora amygdalinae is a fungal pathogen and part of the division Basidiomycota. It is known as a rust fungus that is host specific. M. amygdalinae commonly infects willows of the genus Salix. This fungus was first discovered in 1909 by Heinrich Klebahn who was a professor of soil biology in Hamburg. Neimi at el. explain how the pathogen occurs throughout the whole distribution of the host, and the small natural populations are an area of interest. This rust fungus is annual and autoecious, which references the fungus spending its entire life in a single host.

<i>Puccinia porri</i> Fungus that causes leek rust

Puccinia porri is a species of rust fungus that causes leek rust. It affects leek, garlic, onion, and chives, and usually appears as bright orange spots on infected plants.

References

  1. ↑ "GSD Species Synonymy: Puccinia myrsiphylli (Thüm.) G. Winter, Flora, Regensburg 67: 261 (1884)". Species Fungorum . Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  2. ↑ "The Australian war on bridal creeper". Pesticide Outlook. 13 (2): 71–72. 2002-05-01. doi:10.1039/b203221j. ISSN   0956-1250.
  3. 1 2 3 Doidge, Ethel (1932-12-04). "A Preliminary Study of the South African Rust Fungi". Bothalia. 2 (1): 1–170. doi: 10.4102/abc.v2i1.1787 . ISSN   2311-9284.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Morin, Louise; Willis, Anthony J.; Armstrong, Joel; Kriticos, Darren (2002). "Spread, epidemic development and impact of the bridal creeper rust in Australia: summary of results". Thirteenth Australian Weeds Conference Papers: 385–388. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.673.5974 .
  5. 1 2 "Index Fungorum - Names Record". www.indexfungorum.org. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Morin, Louise; Neave, Michael; Batchelor, Kathryn; Reid, Adele (2006). "Biological control: a promising tool for managing bridal creeper, Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce, in Australia". Plant Protection Quarterly. 21 (2).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Kleinjan, Catharina A.; Morin, Louise; Edwards, Penelope B.; Wood, Alan R. (2004). "Distribution, host range and phenology of the rust fungus Puccinia myrsiphylli in South Africa". Australasian Plant Pathology. 33 (2): 263. doi:10.1071/ap04006. ISSN   0815-3191. S2CID   22350029.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Harman, H.M.; Waipara, N.W.; Winks, C.J.; Smith, L.A.; Peterson, P.G.; Wilkie, J.P. (2008-08-01). "Natural enemies of bridal creeper Asparagus asparagoides in New Zealand". New Zealand Plant Protection. 61: 362–367. doi:10.30843/nzpp.2008.61.6884. ISSN   1179-352X.
  9. 1 2 Waipara, N. W.; McKenzie, E.H.C.; Harman, H.M.; Winks, C.J.; Park, D. (2006). "First record of bridal creeper rust, Puccinia myrsiphylli, a classical biocontrol agent of the environmental weed bridal creeper, Asparagus asparagoides, in New Zealand". Australasian Plant Disease Notes. 1 (1): 23. doi: 10.1071/DN06010 . ISSN   1833-928X. S2CID   38951082.
  10. 1 2 Scott, John and Kleinjan, C.A. (1991). "Bridal creeper (Myrsiphyllum asparagoides) in Australia and developments towards its biological control". Plant Protection Quarterly. 6 (3).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Turner, Peter J.; Morin, Louise; Williams, David G.; Kriticos, Darren J. (2010-09-01). "Interactions between a leafhopper and rust fungus on the invasive plant Asparagus asparagoides in Australia: A case of two agents being better than one for biological control". Biological Control. 54 (3): 322–330. doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2010.06.005. ISSN   1049-9644.
  12. 1 2 3 Morin, Louise; Forrester, Robert I.; Batchelor, Kathryn; Holtkamp, Royce; Hosking, John R.; Lefoe, Greg; Virtue, John G.; Scott, John K. (November 24, 2021). "Decline of the invasive plant Asparagus asparagoides within the first seven years after release of biological control agents in Australia". Biological Control. 165: 104795. doi: 10.1016/j.biocontrol.2021.104795 . ISSN   1049-9644. S2CID   244650108.
  13. 1 2 3 Hayes, Lynley; Fowler, Simon V.; Paynter, Quentin; Groenteman, Ronny; Peterson, Paul; Dodd, Sarah; Bellgard, Stanley (2013). "BioControl of Weeds: Achievements to Date and Future Outlook". BioControl of Weeds.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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