Czesław Sadowski

Dynamics of the root/soil pathogens and antagonists in organic and integrated production of potato

Microbial communities in the root, rhizoplane, and rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil in potato, in organic and integrated production systems, were compared at the emergence and flowering phases of plant development. Microorganisms were identified on the basis of their morphology. The dominant groups included Clonostachys + Gliocladium + Trichoderma, Fusarium + Gibberella + Haematonectria + Neonectria, Paecilomyces, Penicillium and Phoma. Microbial density at the flowering phase was often significantly greater in roots and non-rhizosphere soil than in the rhizoplane and rhizosphere. Diversity of the communities often remained stable or was greater at the emergence phase. The density of bacteria changed with time. The density of Pseudomonas often decreased while Streptomyces significantly increased with time. Changes in densities of pathogens and antagonists decreased the suppressiveness of the habitat towards soil-borne potato pathogens at the flowering phase. The study contributes information that will help to: (a) understand the epidemiology of some potato diseases, (b) make decisions on the economic and ecological aspects of chemical control in potato, (c) develop strategies for manipulation of the soil microbial environment as a viable crop management technique, and (d) develop prognosis models for potato diseases in central Europe.

Simultaneous selection for yield-related traits and susceptibility to Fusarium head blight in spring wheat RIL population

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by the fungal plant pathogen Fusarium, is a fungal disease that occurs in wheat and can cause significant yield and grain quality losses. The present paper examines variation in the resistance of spring wheat lines derived from a cross between Zebra and Saar cultivars. Experiments covering 198 lines and parental cultivars were conducted in three years, in which inoculation with Fusarium culmorum was applied. Resistance levels were estimated by scoring disease symptoms on kernels. In spite of a similar reaction of parents to F. culmorum infection, significant differentiation between lines was found in all the analyzed traits. Seven molecular markers selected as linked to FHB resistance QTLs gave polymorphic products for Zebra and Saar: Xgwm566, Xgwm46, Xgwm389, Xgwm533, Xgwm156, Xwmc238, and Xgwm341. Markers Xgwm389 and Xgwm533 were associated with the rate of Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK) as well as with kernel weight per spike and thousand kernel weight in control plants. Zebra allele of marker Xwmc238 increased kernel weight per spike and thousand kernel weight both in control and infected plants, whereas Zebra allele of marker Xgwm566 reduced the percentage of FDK and simultaneously reduced the thousand kernel weight in control and infected plants.