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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 61(9)

Taxonomic and pathogenic characteristics of a new species Aphanomyces trifolii causing root rot of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) in Western Australia

Tiernan A. O’Rourke A , Megan H. Ryan A D , Hua Li A , Xuanli Ma A , Krishnapillai Sivasithamparam A , Jamshid Fatehi B and Martin J. Barbetti A C D E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

B The Mase Laboratories, Box 148, 751 04 Uppsala, Sweden.

C Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, WA 6151, Australia.

D The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

E Corresponding author. Email: mbarbett@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Crop and Pasture Science 61(9) 708-720 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP10040
Submitted: 2 February 2010  Accepted: 13 July 2010   Published: 9 September 2010

Abstract

Subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) is grown extensively as a pasture legume in agronomic regions with Mediterranean-type climates in parts of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. Root diseases of subterranean clover, especially those caused by oomycete pathogens including Aphanomyces, Phytophthora and Pythium, greatly reduce productivity by significantly decreasing germination, seedling establishment, plant survival and seed set. For this reason, experiments were conducted to determine the species of Aphanomyces causing root disease on subterranean clover in the high-rainfall areas of south-west Western Australia. The effects of flooding, temperature and inoculum concentration on the development of root disease on subterranean clover caused by this Aphanomyces sp. were also investigated as was its host range. Morphological and molecular characteristics were used to identify the pathogen as a new species Aphanomyces trifolii sp. nov. (O’Rourke et al.), which forms a distinct clade with its nearest relative being A. cladogamus. A. trifolii caused significant lateral root pruning as well as hypocotyl collapse and tap root disease of subterranean clover. The level of disease was greater in treatments where soil was flooded for 24 h rather than for 6 h or in unflooded treatments. The pathogen caused more disease at 18/13oC than at lower (10/5oC) or higher (25/20oC) temperatures. The pathogen caused more disease at 1% inoculum than at 0.5 or 0.2% (% inoculum : dry weight of soil). In greenhouse trials, A. trifolii also caused root disease on annual medic (M. polymorpha and M. truncatula), dwarf beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum). However, the pathogen did not cause disease on peas (Pisum sativum), chickpea (Cicer arietinum), wheat (Triticum aestivum), annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidium) or capsicum (Capsicum annuum). A. trifolii is a serious pathogen in the high-rainfall areas of south-west Western Australia and is likely a significant cause of root disease and subsequent decline in subterranean clover pastures across southern Australia.

Additional keywords: Aphanomyces, oomycete, root disease, subterranean clover, Trifolium.


Acknowledgments

We thank the Australian Wool Innovation Ltd and the late Mr Frank Ford, Western Australia, for a bequest that funded this research, which is a part of the primary author’s PhD. We also thank Dr Ovidiu Constantinescu for performing the Latin translation.


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