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First Report of Solanum physalifolium as a Host Plant for Phytophthora infestans in Sweden

In the early summer of 2003, lesions resembling those caused by Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary on potato were observed on Solanum physalifolium Rusby var. nitidibaccatum (Bitter) Edmonds (2) that was growing as a weed in a parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) field in southern Sweden. When infected leaves of S. physalifolium were observed under the microscope (×200 magnification), sporangia with the same shape and size as those of P. infestans were observed. Pieces of infected leaves of S. physalifolium were put under tuber slices of S. tuberosum (cv. Bintje) in petri dishes and kept at 20°C. After 4 days, mycelium grew through the slices and sporulated profusely. The sporangia on the slices were of the same shape and size as those observed on the infected S. physalifolium leaves. In Sweden, the ratio of A1 and A2 mating types of P. infestans is 50:50, and oospores are commonly found in infected potato crops (1), so isolates from S. physalifolium were tested for mating type by growing them together with reference isolates of a known mating type on agar plates. Nine of the tested isolates were A1 mating type and six were A2 mating type. One self-fertile isolate was found. Naturally infected leaves of S. physalifolium were incubated at 20°C at 100% relative humidity so the lesions could coalesce and to facilitate oospore formation. After 5 days, oospores identical to those of P. infestans were observed under the microscope (×200 magnification). Sporangia produced by isolates originating from S. physalifolium and S. tuberosum were harvested, and a suspension containing 10⁴ sporangia per ml from each isolate was prepared. Five leaves each of S. nigrum, S. physalifolium, and S. tuberosum (cv. Bintje), were inoculated with 10 μl of each sporangial suspension. Inoculated leaves were incubated in sealed petri dishes at 15°C. After 4 days, all S. tuberosum leaves were infected. After 7 days, two of five leaves of S. physalifolium inoculated with the S. tuberosum isolate and two of five S. physalifolium leaves inoculated with the isolate from S. physalifolium were infected. All lesions produced sporangia similar to those formed by P. infestans. S. nigrum was not infected by any of the isolates. The ability of S. physalifolium to act as a host plant for P. infestans producing sporangia during the growing season and oospores for survival between growing seasons may increase the problems of controlling late blight in potato in Sweden.

References: (1) J. Dahlberg et al. Field survey of oospore formation by Phytophthora infestans. (Poster Abstr.) Pages 134--135 In: Late Blight: Managing the Global Threat. Proc Global Late Blight Conf. Charlotte Lizarraga, ed. Centro Internacional De La Papa, On-line publication, ISBN 929060-215-5, 2002. (2) J. M. Edmonds. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 92:1, 1986.