نشریه آفات و بیماریهای گیاهی
سال هشتاد و سوم شماره 1 (پیاپی 100، شهریور 1394)

An experiment was carried out in split plot design with 3 main plot (Planting dates of 11, 21 Nov. and 1 Dec.) and 4 sub plot (cultivars Hyola 401, Hyola 308, PF and Option) and 4 replications in Behbahan Agricultural Research Station during 2005-2007. The experiments were carried out in sprayed and non-sprayed parts. The infected stem length, contamination percentage and index, capsule number, seed number in capsule, 1000 seed weight and seed yield were measured in sprayed and non-sprayed parts and the means were compared with Duncan test. The results showed that the lowest contamination index (0.97 and 1) were observed in Hayol 401 in the first planting date in two years and highest of contamination index (6.26, 7.08, 6.39 and 4.14) were observed in the PF and Option cultivars in the third planting date in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The highest seed yield was observed in Hayol 401 (3726 Kg/hect.) in the first planting date in 2006 and the lowest seed yield was observed in PF and Option cultivars (1738 and 1855 Kg/hect., respectively) in the third planting date. The seed yield reduces evaluated about %12-20 in the first planting date and about %23-33 in the third planting date in all cultivars and non-sprayed parts. Therefore, using suitable planting date of 11 and 21 Nov. and Hyola 401, 308 cultivars, can prevent population pick and damage of aphids in the most sensitive growth stage of canola (flowering stage) and finally yield loss.

Citrus greening has been reported from south of Iran in 2007. The molecular basis of compatibility and disease development in this system is poorly understood. We have carried out a cDNA-AFLP analysis to identify resistance genes of Citrus grandis and Candidatus Leiberibacter aciaticus susceptibility genes in late infection development stage. Selective amplifications with 10 primer combinations allowed the visualization of about 25 transcript-derived fragments (TDFs) in inoculated leaves, which were differentially expressed. We sequenced 16 fragments, which were identified as Citrus grandis transcripts after homology searching, while 5 were homologous to sequences in NCBI databases and were attributed to Candidatus Leiberibacter asiaticus. Many Citrus grandis genes spanning almost all functional categories were upregulated during infection. This study provides the first global catalogue of Citrus grandis and Candidatus Leiberibacter asiaticus genes expressed during inoculation, together with their functional annotations. This will help to elucidate the molecular basis of the resistance process and identify genes and chemicals that could help to inhibit the pathogen.

In recent years, yellowing symptoms and high population of whiteflies have been observed in many cucumber grown greenhouses in Iran. During 2011- 2012, surveys were performed in the major cucumber growing greenhouses of Tehran, Semnan, Isfahan, and Yazd provinces of Iran and a total of 287 leaf samples showing yellowing and thickening symptoms were collected. The samples were tested for the presence of whitefly-transmitted viruses (WTVs) such as Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV), Cucumber vein yellowing virus (CVYV) and Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV), using double/triple antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS/TAS-ELISA) and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The majority of the collected samples were infected by CCYV and CVYV (52 and 42%, respectively), and detected in all surveyed provinces. The least infection of samples was related to CYSDV (18%) which not detected in Isfahan province. Mixed infections were also found in 62% of the symptomatic samples. Double infection was the most mixed infection: CCYV+CVYV (49%). A 460 bp fragment of heat shock protein gene (hsp70) of three Iranian CYSDV isolates was amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses based on the nucleotide sequence of amplified fragment showed that Iranian isolates of CYSDV clustered into a separate clade than other isolates of this virus. The results of this study showed the presence of high level of WTVs infection in greenhouses associated with yellowing symptom induction.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the most important food crop in the world, but its yield is adversely affected due to plant pathogens particularly bacterial leaf blight (BLB) caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (Pss). The management method presently in practice is insufficient to meet current safety and/or efficacy standards. Therefore, use of resistant genotypes is the best approach to manage BLB. The present study was undertaken to identify possible sources of resistance to Pss in cultivars and germplasms of wheat available. Two strains of Pss were isolated from symptomatic leaves of wheat and barley in Kerman province. The isolates were identified as Pss on the basis of physiological and biochemical characters, using specific primers and sequencing of 16S rRNA, ITS, and gyrB, rpoD, hrpL genes. Pss strains produced necrotic streaks on the susceptible wheat cv. Golestan. These strains were used for inoculation of 99 winter and spring wheat and durum (Triticum durum) genotypes to identify possible sources of resistance to BLB. The reaction of infiltrated seedlings fourth leaves infiltrated with bacterial suspension was scored seven to ten days after inoculation. Accessions were arranged in a randomized complete block design and three replications and five plants in each replicate were used. Among all the genotypes evaluated, only cv. Omid was found to be resistant to BLB. This wheat genotype can potentially be used in breeding wheat cultivars for resistance to BLB.

Plum pox virus (PPV) is considered as one of the most devastating viruses of stone fruits in the world. During the growing seasons of the years 2012-2014, to detect and determine molecular characterization of Iranian isolates of PPV, sampling was done from stone fruit gardens in some parts in north and north western and central of Iran. A total number of 130 symptomatic Prunus leaf samples with virus like symptoms and symptomless weeds were collected from Ardebil, Mazandaran and Tehran. PPV detection was performed using DAS-ELISA, Dot Immuno Binding Assay and also RT-PCR with specific designed primers amplifying the gene encoding coat protein (CP). The results obtained from serological and molecular assays revealed presence of infection in 3 samples from Dasht-e Moghan, 24 samples from Jouybar and 2 samples from Darakeh. PCR amplicons belongs to the different regions were sequenced and compared with the corresponding worldwide strains available in NCBI. Comparisons showed the close similarity between the M6 isolate (from Dasht-e Moghan) and 15S and 10s isolates (from Jouybar) with the D (acc. nr. HF585098.1) (99.4%) and M (acc nr EF626533.1) (99.3% and 99.4%) strains of PPV, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of molecular detection of M and D strains of PPV in the studied regions based on the nucleotide sequence.

Species composition of sunn pest egg parasitoids is related to region and canvas, but in a specified range of the time and place, one or a few species are more abundant. In order to evaluate and compare the life table parameters of sunn pest egg parasitoids, parasitized eggs were collected during sunn pest oviposition period in Qazvin province cereal fields and transferred to the laboratory of sunn pest research department. Then, the emerged wasps were reared on the sunn pests or Graphosoma eggs separately. Afterwards, the biological characteristics of each species including immature developmental period, adult's survivorship, fecundity, and longevity were measured. The faunistic studies results showed that there were two species of parasitoids including Trissolcus grandis and T. semisttriatus on sunn pest eggs in Qazvin province. Data analysis showed that immature developmental period of T. grandis was significantly lower than that of T. semistriatus. Moreover, the comparative studies of population growth parameters of T. grandis and T. semistriatus showed that net and gross reproductive rates of T. grandis were higher than those of T. semistriatus and totally, T. grandis had higher reproductive potential.

The family Mymaridae (Hym.: Chalcidoidea) are cosmopolitan wasps, with 103 valid genera and about 1424 valid species worldwide. On the study of faun on parasitoids wasps of Coccoidea in Mazandaran in 2011-2013, two species of Mymaridae belong to Alaptus genera were collected. One species identified as Alaptus priesneri collected from three samples of Chrysomphalus dictyospermi on Citrus aurantium L. on 02. Sep. 2013, Planococcus citri on C. aurantium L. on 23. Sep. 2013 and Ceroplastes sinensis on Hedera helix L. on 26. Sep. 2013 in Juybar area. Alaptus auranti collected in one samples of C. dictyospermi on C. aurantium L. on 07. Dec. 2012 in Juybar area. These parasitoid wasps are new for Iranian fauna.

During the study of seed predator insects of milkvetchs (Astragalus species) in East-Azarbaijan province rangelands (In the summer of 2010), some specimens of infected seeds were collected on Astragalus onobrychis L. and A. aureus Wild (Fabaceae) from Horand (altitude 1300 m) and Sahand ski resort (altitude 2400 m) rangelands, respectively. Rearing was made in the entomological laboratory (24°C and 65% humidity) which led to the emergence of a seed weevil species of the family Apionidae. The emerged beetles were preserved in ethanol 75% and prepared for identification. The specimens were identified as Ischnopterapion subglabrum (Desbrochers) by Karel Schone in Czech Republic. This species belongs to the superfamily Curculionoidea, family Apionidae, subfamily Apioninae, tribe Oxystomatini (1, 4) and according to available sources, is new record for Iranian fauna. Specimens deposited in the insect collection of Research Center of Agriculture and Natural Resources of East-Azarbaijan Province, and Research Institute of Forests and Rangelandes, Tehran, Iran. Previously, only the species M. insidiosuom was reported from Iran, that the changes made in the taxonomy of Apioninae, its scientific name will be Ischnopterapion insidiosuom. Other areas of distribution of I. insidiosuom, CIS countries and Syria have been reported. So far, about 15 species of the genus Ischnopterapion have been introduced from the Palearctic region that many of them have been reported in European countries, but given the several synonym names and some taxonomic difficulties in some genera of the family Apionidae, in relation to the number of introduced species in this family cannot be expressed in terms of decisive (2, 3). Ischnopterapion subglabrum so far has been reported from southern parts of central Europe and some countries in the Levant region including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine (3). This species is mostly seed predator of leguminous plants.Morphological characteristics of I. subglabrum were as the following items: Most parts of the body metallic green. Compound eyes, antennae and tarsi brown. Rostrum elongated and tubular, 1.4-1.7 times as long as pronotum, in males slightly wider at the base of the antennae. Antennae longer and narrower. Pronotum usually not narrowing based and apical, coarsely punctate. Elytra widened behind middle. White hairs present over the inner surface of pygidial apex.

A survey was conducted to collect and identify the parasitoid wasps associated with pistachio gall aphids caused by Forda hirsuta and Slavum mordvilcovi on Pistacia atlantica in Kerman, Fars and Yazd provinces of Iran during 2013. The overwintered Galls were randomly collected and reared in plastic jars under room temperature until the adults of insects inhabiting the galls were appeared. Among the collected and identified species, Nemeritis divida (Dbar, 1985) (Hym.: Ichneumonidae, Campopleginae) was a new genus and species for the insect fauna of Iran (1, 4). Specimens of this species were deposited in the Zoological Museum of the University of Turku, Finland and the entomology laboratory of Shahed University, Iran.Nemeritis divida (Dbar, 1985): Material examined: IRAN, Arsanjan, N=29°55′, E=53°26′, 2230 m a.s.l., 1♀, 5 May 2013, 1♀, 15 June 2013. General distribution: Azerbaijan, Turkey (4) and Iran (new record). Diagnostic characters: the species of the genus Nemeritis have a closed areolet; compound eyes without or with sparse hairs; fore wing with vein 2rs-m jointed near the middle of areolet; first tergite of metasoma without glymma and ovipositor a little longer than the metasoma (3). N. divida can be distinguished from other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: face 0.7 times in the female and 0.9 times in the males as wide as high; the base and middle of hind tibia white, the outside, inside, sub basal and apical part of hind tibia dark brown to black; Ovipositor/hind tibia index 0.6-0.7 (2).Species of the genus Nemeritis are known as parasitoids of Raphidiidae (Insecta: Neuropterida, Raphidioptera) (2, 4). There has not been yet known any plant or insects host associated with N. divida (4). Pistacia atlantica and pistachio aphid gall, S. mordvilcovi, were newly established as plant-host-association and overwintering sites of N. divida.

During 2011-2014, in the course of a faunistic survey of parasitoid wasps in Mazandaran Province Cleonymus laticornis (Hym.:Pteromalidae) was collected and identified for the first time from Iran. This species identified by Dr. Antoni Ribes (Spain). Cleonymus laticornis Walker, 1837 (Hym.: Pteromalidae) was reported from France, Britain, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovak, Swiss, Morocco (1), Belgian, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Netherland, China, Spain, Belarus, Switzerland, United kingdom and United States (3).Graham (1969) introduced C. laticornis as parasitic on xylophagous Coleoptera as on sunny days in May and June, females may be seen searching for their hosts on the branches of old trees particularly Salix sp. (Salicaceae) and Corylus sp. (Betulaceae) attacked by beetles (2). This parasitoid wasp was reported of the larvae of Ochina hederae (Col., Anobiidae) on host covered with ivy for the first time by Westwood in 1839. Lichtenstein was reported C. laticornis on some larvae Gracilia minuta (Col., Cerambycidae) from France in 1919 (2).Noyes (2014) reported other hosts from Coleoptera for C. laticornis that are include Mecinus pyraster (Curculionidae), Hylesinus oleiperda and Hylensius toranio from Scolytidae, also Gracillaria minuta (Gracillariidae) from Lepidoptera order as primary host for this parasitoid wasp (3). In this survey C. laticornis was collected from Coleoptra pupa probably belongs to Cerambycidae family on Prunus divaricate from Juybar in 3. Jun. 2012. This species identified by Dr. Antoni Ribes (Spain). Some characters of this parasitoid were as fallow: Body of female is 3/1-5/7 mm, whole color of body is dark-brown, legs were light brown and tarsi are white. There was two transvers brown patch in front wings. Body is narrow. Gaster in lowest 2/4x as long as width. Head in dorsal view was as 2/2x as width, scutellum is long. Marginal vein was at least 1/7x as long as stigmal vein. Fifth tergite has lower width. Marginal vein specially is longer than postmarginal vein and its length was about 1/8-1/9 stigmal vein.

The subfamily Diplazontinae (Hym.: Ichneumonidae) has 340 described species to date (2, 5). A large scale sampling during 2010-2011 in the north of Iran resulted in reporting of 16 species of this subfamily from Iran (3) which of them two species belonged to the genus Homotropus Forster, 1869. Recently, two other species of the genus were reported from Kerman province (1, 4). Here, the fifth species of the genus, Homotropus longiventris, is reported for the first time from Iran. The second author confirmed the scientific name of this species. Specimen was deposited in the insect collection of College of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Darab, Shiraz University.Homotropus longiventris Thomson 1890:Material examined: IRAN, Mazandaran province, Noor county, (N= 36° 18′ E= 52° 07′, 1332m a.s.l.), 1♀, 11.July.2011, sweep netting.General Distribution: Belgium; Finland; Germany; Ireland; Lithuania; Mongolia; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Romania; Russia; Sweden; Switzerland; United Kingdom (5) and Iran (new record)Morphological diagnostic characters: Homotropus longiventris can be identified from other species of the genus by the key and description provided by Klopfstein (2014) as following: antenna in females with 19 to 20 flagellomeres, apical flagellomeres with dorsal and ventral multiporous plate sensilla; clypeus weakly excised, with lobes somewhat ungulate at outer corners; yellow central face patch confluent with yellow clypeus; mesoscutum finely coriaceous, strongly punctuate, with anterolateral yellow marks; scutellum laterally and apically yellow; fore wing areolet closed, vein 3rs-m usually unpigmented; metasoma black, elongate and middle segments parallel-sided; first tergite short, without median dorsal carinae, with few longitudinal wrinkles, 1.0–1.3 times as long as wide; legs orange, fore and mid coxae yellow, hind coxa orange, femora yellow or orange, hind tibia white with apex, base and a subbasal spot dark, hind tarsus dark.

Boxwood)Buxus sempervirens subsp. hyrcana) is one of the main forest evergreen plant species through the Caspian Sea provinces. Boxwood is endemic to Iran and it has particular importance among the forest reserves in the world. Boxwood blight disease was reported, from the forests of Mazandaran and Guilan province in 2013 (2, 3). Calonectria pseudonaviculata, the causal agent of buxus blight can complete its life cycle within one week under its favorite temperature and humidity (1). Development of the disease is as fast as that the boxwood blight symptoms were observed broadly in Guilan and Mazandaran provinces. To monitor the epidemiology of the disease, the infected leaves and twigs were collected from boxwood trees in Bandargaz area, located in Golestan province. The infected plant tissues were surface sterilized with hypochlorite sodium (%5) and cultured on PDA (potato dextrose agar) medium to isolate the causal agent. Fungal isolates were purified using hyphal type method on water agar medium (1.5%). For spore production, the colonies were grown on PCA (potato carrot agar) and incubated under near- ultraviolet light at 25°C. The colony color on PDA was brown with pale hale. No mycellial growth was observed at 30°C which had been reported (1). Conidia were produced frequently after 15 days on PCA medium. Conidia were cylindrical, rounded at both ends, 1-septate, 48- 68 (47.3) ×4- 6 (4.8) µm. Stipe was long (90-14 µm), hyaline, the extension terminating in a broadly ellipsoid papillate vesicle, and with the widest part above the middle. This is the first report of outbreak boxwood blight disease throughout all of Hyrcanian forests located in Iran.

Fusarium graminearum as the main cause of Fusarium head blight of wheat not only decreases the yield, but also causes mycotoxicosis in human and livestock because of producing dioxynivalenol and nivalenol. Sixty isolates of F. graminearum obtained from infected wheat farms of Iran were tested for the ability of deoxynivalenol, nivalenol and acetylen derivations production using specific primers of Tri13P1/Tri13P2 and Tri13F/Tri13DONR. A 583bp fragment responsible for the production of 15-Acetyl deoxynivalenol amplified in 36 isolates out of 60 tested ones, also in 24 isolates, an 859bp band responsible to product nivalenol were reproduced. None of the isolates produced 644bp fragment which is responsible for 3-Acetyl deoxynivalenol production. The data related to the distribution of Tri13 haplotypes by the PCR method showed that the majority of F. graminearum isolates were DON and 15-AcDON producer. Potential of trichothecenes B production of isolates possessing Trichothecenes-generating genes were evaluated using HPLC-SPE method. 77% of isolates produced 15-AcDON and 46% produced NIV. Also none of the DON-producing isolates was able to produce NIV, whereas the low levels of DON (10- 90 ppb) were evaluated in F. graminearum isolates producing high levels of NIV. Distribution of DON derivatives and NIV- producing F. graminarum isolates in different provinces showed that the most NIV- producing isolates were obtained from Golestan and Mazandaran provinces whereas DON chemotypes isolates were more than NIV-producing ones in Fars, Kerman, Hormozgan and Ardabil provinces.