A study on response of 29 barley genotypes resistant to Bipolaris leaf blight (Bipolaris sorokiniana) was conducted to investigate the relationship of the components of resistance of 29 barley genotypes. Data on five components of resistance viz., infection frequency (number of lesions per plant), lesion size (mm), percent leaf area affected by lesion, percent necrotic area on leaf, and disease...

Mating of compatible haploid cells of Ustilago maydis is essential for infection and disease development in the host. For mating and subsequent filamentous growth and pathogenicity, the transcription factor, prf1 is necessary. Prf1 is in turn regulated by the cAMP and MAPK pathways and other regulators like rop1 and hap1. Here we describe the identification of another putative Prf1 regulator, m...

Little is known about the population mating behavior of the smut fungus Ustilago maydis DC (Corda). To determine the amount of inbreeding that occurs in local U. maydis populations, two cornfields were sampled, one in North America (NA) at Le Sueur, Minnesota, and one in South America (SA) at Tarariras, Uruguay. These fields were chosen because of their geographic isolation and host management ...

The soil fungus Macrophomina phaseolina, the charcoal rot disease agent, poses a major threat to cotton fields. In Israel, highly infected areas are also inhabited by maize pathogen Magnaporthiopsis maydis. This study reveals relationships between two pathogens and their impact on sprouts. Infecting 14 days before sowing (DBS) with each or M. phaseolina maydis caused strong inhibition (up 50–65...

The corn smut fungus, Ustilago maydis, is a global pathogen responsible for extensive agricultural losses. Control of corn smut using traditional breeding has met with limited success because natural resistance to U. maydis is organ specific and involves numerous maize genes. Here, we present a transgenic approach by constitutively expressing the Totivirus antifungal protein KP4, in maize. Tran...

Fungal cells deal with a wide variety of toxic environmental conditions during their life cycle. An important example of stress challenge to which fungi must cope is the high levels of ROS produced by the host during the oxidative burst. Ustilago maydis (D.C.) Corda is an important model system for plant pathogen smut and rust fungi. Genome wide analyses of this pathogen provide an insight into...

Ratification of appointment of repositories by the International Mycological Congress is reported. The following two family names are recommended for conservation: Chrysotrichaceae against Pulverariaceae; and the teleomorphtypified Erysiphaceae against the anamorph-typified Oidiaceae. The following family name is not recommended for conservation: Dothioraceae against Saccotheciaceae. The follow...

The gene encoding ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) from Ustilago maydis was cloned. A conserved PCR product amplified from U. maydis DNA was synthesized and used to screen a genomic library of the fungus. Alignment of its deduced protein sequence with those of other cloned ODCs showed a high degree of homology. Gene replacement was obtained by removal of a central part of the gene and insertion of...