First Report of Pythium torulosum Causing Corn Root Rot in Northeastern China

In October 2017, we collected five soil samples from each of several fields with a history of severe corn (Zea mays) seedling disease in Heilongjiang province of China. Affected seedlings were wilted with severe root rot, and a high incidence of seedling death was observed in the fields. Corn seeds were seeded in the collected soil samples and grown in a growth chamber for 21 days set at the following incubation temperatures: 21/7°C for 6 days, 10/3°C for 4 days, 16/7°C for 5 days, and 20/20°C for 6 days (16 h/8 h, light/dark) (Tang et al. 2019). The corn seedlings in the growth chamber showed the same symptoms observed in the field as mentioned above. Corn root rot samples were collected from several symptomatic plants in the growth chamber to isolate the possible pathogen. Symptomatic roots were washed in 0.5% NaOCl for 2 min, rinsed in sterile water, cut into 1 to 2-mm segments, and then plated on corn meal agar amended with pimaricin (5 μg/ml), ampicillin (250 μg/ml), rifampicin (10 μg/ml), pentachloronitrobenzene (50 μg/ml), and benomyl (10 μg/ml) (PARP+B), which is selective for oomycetes (Jeffers and Martin 1986). After 3 days of incubation in the dark at 25°C, colonies were transferred to 10% V8 juice agar and incubated at 25°C for 2 weeks. Six isolates were identified as Pythium torulosum based on the morphology of sexual and asexual structures following van der Plaats-Niterink’s key (van der Plaats-Niterink 1981). On 10% V8 juice agar, the hyphae were aseptate, and colonies had filamentous sporangia with a dendroid or globose structure. The oogonia were globose or subglobose, laevis, terminal, rarely intercalary, ranging from 12 to 19 (average 16) μm. Antheridia were mostly sessile or brachypodous, and each oogonium was supplied by one to two antheridia cells. Oospores were globose, plerotic, ranging from 9 to 16 (average 13) μm. For the molecular identification, two molecular targets, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (COII), were amplified and sequenced using universal primer sets DC6/ITS4 (Cooke et al. 2000) and FM58/FM66 (Villa et al. 2006), respectively, for one isolate, “copt”. BLAST analyses of a 971-bp ITS segment amplified from copt (GenBank MT830918) showed 99.79% identity with a P. torulosum isolate (GenBank AY598624.2). For the COII gene of copt, BLAST analyses of a 553-bp segment (GenBank MT843570) showed 98.37% identity with a P. torulosum isolate (GenBank AB095065.1). Thus, the isolate, copt, was identified as P. torulosum based on morphological characteristics and molecular analysis. To confirm pathogenicity and Koch’s postulates, a pathogenicity test was conducted as described by Zhang et al. (2000). Briefly, a 5-mm culture plug from the P. torulosum isolate, copt, was transferred to a 9-cm Petri dish containing 20 ml of 10% V8 juice agar and incubated in the dark at 25°C for 7 days. The culture was cut into small pieces and mixed with a sterilized soil mix (40% organic peat substrate, 40% perlite, and 20% soil) at a ratio of one Petri dish per 100 g of soil mix. Ten corn seeds were planted at a depth of 2 cm in a 500-ml pot containing the inoculated soil mix. The control pots were mock inoculated with plain 10% V8 juice agar. Pots were incubated in a greenhouse at temperatures ranging from 21 to 23°C. There were four replications. After 14 days, brown and rotted corn roots were observed, which was similar to those observed in the field and growth chamber. Control plants remained symptomless and healthy. P. torulosum copt was consistently reisolated from the symptomatic roots. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. torulosum causing root rot of corn in northeastern China. Corn is an important crop in Heilongjiang, and the occurrence of root rot caused by this pathogen may be a new threat to corn plants. There is a need to develop management measures to control the disease.