Development of molecular techniques for the control of fruit rot in cranberries

增加对小红莓病害的了解对确保优质水果的持续生产至关重要。水果病原菌在不同的生产地理区域日益受到关注。在魁北克，虽然小红莓病害过去很少见，但令人遗憾的是，疾病的增加一直困扰着该行业。在该省的某些地区，种植者现在更常见的情况是，为了控制不同的疾病，种植者必须使用多达三种杀菌剂。对于水果加工商来说，在供应链中移除有缺陷的水果既昂贵又耗时，并影响成品的供应。对引起水果腐烂的几种病原体的准确鉴定是复杂、繁琐和不准确的。现在越来越多的真菌分离株对用于控制水果腐烂的斯特比林(QOI)杀菌剂产生抗药性，这加剧了这个问题。在这个项目中，与加拿大海洋喷雾公司和四家蔓越莓种植者合作，目标是开发一种多重聚合酶链式反应方法，能够对魁北克和新斯科舍省生产地区的蔓越莓腐烂病原(S)进行精确诊断。此诊断将同时适用于现场和存储的ROT。此外，还将努力查明魁北克田间黑腐病的来源。最后，分子工具将被应用于鉴定对QOI杀菌剂产生抗药性的真菌菌株，以努力帮助种植者更好地管理疾病。对危害蔓越莓果实的病原菌的准确了解将为加拿大和美国的种植者提供适当的控制解决方案，这些解决方案将通过增加和减少产量以及优化杀虫剂的使用来遏制田间和贮藏水果腐烂造成的损失，从而使海洋喷雾和全国各地的蔓越莓种植者都受益。

Increased knowledge of cranberry diseases is of capital importance to insure the continued production of quality fruits. The fruit pathogens are an increasing concern in the different geographic areas of production. In Quebec, while the presence of cranberry diseases was rare in the past, an unfortunate increase in diseases has plagued the industry. In certain areas of the province, growers more commonly now have to do up to three fungicide applications to control different diseases. For fruit handlers, the removal of defective fruit in the supply chain is both costly and time-consuming and affects the supply of the finished product. The precise identification of the several pathogens responsible for fruit rot is complex, cumbersome and inaccurate. This problem is exacerbated by the increasing presence of fungal isolates now resistant to strobilurin (QoI) fungicides used to control fruit rot. In this project, in collaboration with Ocean Spray of Canada and four cranberry growers, the objective is to develop a multiplex PCR approach that can lead to a precise diagnostic of the causal agent(s) of cranberry fruit rot throughout the areas of production in Quebec and Nova Scotia. This diagnostic will apply to both field and stored rot. In addition, efforts will be invested to identify the source of black rot on the rise in Quebec fields. Finally, molecular tools will be applied to identify fungal isolates having developed resistance to QoI fungicides in an effort to help growers better manage the disease. A precise knowledge of the pathogens attacking cranberry fruit will provide Canadian and American growers with adapted control solutions that will benefit both Ocean Spray and cranberry growers throughout the country through yield increment and reduction and optimized usage of pesticides to curb losses incurred by field and stored fruit rot.