EAPSI: Identifying Fungi Associated with the Ancient Conifer Agathis Australis and Testing their Potential as Biological Control Agents against Harmful Pathogen

Kauri(Agathis Australis)是一种原产于新西兰的重要经济和文化树种，目前正受到一种毁灭性的土壤病原体的威胁，这种病原体会导致一种名为Kauri Dieback的疾病。与新西兰奥克兰Landcare Research的Maj Padamsee博士合作，这项工作旨在(1)识别与Kauri根相关的有益真菌；(2)评估它们抑制感染或减缓病原体进展的潜力。为完成这项工作而形成的网络将有利于专业发展和未来的国际合作。这项研究的结果可能会改进对角果枯萎病和由类似病原体引起的疾病的控制方法，如橡树猝死、大豆根腐病和可可黑豆病，这些疾病威胁到全球其他地区重要的经济和文化树木。Agathis australis(阿拉伯树科)，通常被称为Kauri，是新西兰特有的一种古老、长寿、重要的经济和文化意义的针叶树种。自欧洲人到来以来，Kauri已经从160万公顷减少到大约7500公顷，剩下的树木目前受到无疫疫霉(Phytophthora Agathicida)的威胁，这是一种卵菌病原体，会导致一种被称为kauri dieback的毁灭性衣领腐烂。Padamsee和他的同事表征了菌根与kauri根的联系，并通过显微分析发现了与根相关的黑暗隔膜内生菌(Des)的证据。本工作的范围是(1)通过测序其内部转录间隔区(ITS)在物种水平上鉴定与Kauri相关的DSE真菌；(2)通过两种体外抑制试验来评估DSE真菌抑制Pagathicida营养生长和孢子萌发率的潜力。这项调查的结果可以作为生物防治方法的基础，可以应用于金龟子枯萎病和其他由疫霉引起的重要疾病。该奖项由东亚和太平洋夏季研究所计划支持一名美国研究生的夏季研究，由NSF和新西兰皇家学会联合资助。

Kauri (Agathis australis) are economically and culturally important trees that are native to New Zealand and are currently threatened by a devastating soil pathogen that causes a disease known as kauri dieback. In collaboration with Dr. Maj Padamsee of Landcare Research in Auckland, New Zealand, who has expertise working with kauri dieback and fungi that associate with kauri, this work aims to (1) identify beneficial fungi that associate with the roots of kauri; and (2) evaluate their potential to inhibit infection or slow the progression of the pathogen. The network formed to complete this work will be beneficial for professional development and future international collaborations. Findings from this research have the potential to improve control methods for kauri dieback and diseases caused by similar pathogens such as sudden oak death, soybean root rot and cocoa black pod disease that threaten economically and culturally important trees in other regions around the globe.Agathis australis (Araucariaceae), commonly referred to as kauri, is an ancient, long-lived, economically important and culturally significant conifer that is endemic to New Zealand. Kauri have been reduced from 1.6 million hectares to only ca. 7500 hectares since European arrival and the remaining trees are currently threatened by Phytophthora agathicida, an oomycete pathogen that causes a devastating collar rot known as kauri dieback. Padamsee and colleagues characterized mycorrhizal associations with kauri roots and found evidence of dark septate endophytes (DSEs) also being present in association with the roots via microscopic analyses. The scope of the present work is to (1) identify kauri-associated DSE fungi at the species level by sequencing their internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions; and (2) evaluate the potential of DSE fungi to inhibit vegetative growth and spore germination rates of P. agathicida via two in vitro inhibition assays. Results from this investigation may serve as the basis for biocontrol methods that can be applied to kauri dieback and other important diseases that are caused by Phytophthora spp.This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Royal Society of New Zealand.