Abstract
Fungi are an essential component of any ecosystem, but they can also cause mild and severe plant diseases. Plant diseases are caused by a wide array of fungal groups that affect a diverse range of hosts with different tissue specificities. Fungi were previously named based only on morphology and, in many cases, host association, which has led to superfluous species names and synonyms. Morphology-based identification represents an important method for genus level identification and molecular data are important to accurately identify species. Accurate identification of fungal pathogens is vital as the scientific name links the knowledge concerning a species including the biology, host range, distribution, and potential risk of the pathogen, which are vital for effective control measures. Thus, in the modern era, a polyphasic approach is recommended when identifying fungal pathogens. It is also important to determine if the organism is capable of causing host damage, which usually relies on the application of Koch’s postulates for fungal plant pathogens. The importance and the challenges of applying Koch’s postulates are discussed. Bradford Hill criteria, which are generally used in establishing the cause of human disease, are briefly introduced. We provide guidelines for pathogenicity testing based on the implementation of modified Koch’s postulates incorporating biological gradient, consistency, and plausibility criteria from Bradford Hill. We provide a set of protocols for fungal pathogenicity testing along with a severity score guide, which takes into consideration the depth of lesions. The application of a standard protocol for fungal pathogenicity testing and disease assessment in plants will enable inter-studies comparison, thus improving accuracy. When introducing novel plant pathogenic fungal species without proving the taxon is the causal agent using Koch’s postulates, we advise the use of the term associated with the “disease symptoms” of “the host plant”. Where possible, details of disease symptoms should be clearly articulated.
Highlights
Animals and plants live in close contact with innumerable microorganisms, but only a small percentage can cause disease [1]
We provide guidelines for pathogenicity testing based on the application of a modified Koch’s postulate with Bradford Hill criteria to incorporate the biological gradient criterion, the consistency criterion, and the plausibility criterion [53]
A polyphasic approach based on morphology, ecology, and molecular-based approaches is recommended to accurately identify pathogens as the scientific name links the knowledge concerning the species, which is vital to understand the epidemiology and to develop effective quarantine measures [31,36,39]
Summary
Animals and plants live in close contact with innumerable microorganisms, but only a small percentage can cause disease [1]. Pathogens can be classified into biotrophs, necrotrophs, or hemibiotrophs based on their lifestyles [8] Biotrophs such as rusts, powdery mildews, or Peronospora rely on living plant cells for nutrients [9]. Powdery mildews, or Peronospora rely on living plant cells for nutrients [9] Necrotrophs such as Botrytis cinerea or Cochliobolus heterostrophus rapidly kill the host tissues with toxins and cell wall degrading enzymes [9]. Discuss that forests need a “healthy amount of disease”, as these disease-causing agents act as regulators, terminators, and resource recovery agents, allowing the forest to be sustained over time [17] This concept points out that forest health is only affected when the impact of pathogens exceeds a level suitable for the sustainability of the system. A set of protocols is provided as a guideline for pathogenicity testing of fungal pathogens on different parts of the plant along with a severity score guide
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