Location of an Intron in the Cytochrome b Gene Indicates Reduced Risk of QoI Fungicide Resistance in Fusicladium effusum.

Abstract

Pecan scab, caused by Fusicladium effusum, is most effectively managed using multiple fungicide applications, including quinone outside inhibitors (QoIs). However, QoIs have a high risk for resistance developing in phytopathogenic fungi. QoI resistance is generally associated with amino-acid substitutions at positions 129, 137, and 143 of the cytochrome b (cytb) gene. A substitution at position 143 confers complete resistance, while an intron immediately downstream of this position prevents the substitution. The objective of this study was to assess the risk of QoI resistance by characterizing a partial fragment of the F. effusum cytb gene. Sequence analysis of the 1,919-bp fragment revealed the presence of a 1,407-bp intron immediately downstream of position 143. This intron was identified in 125 isolates collected from 16 counties across the state of Georgia. No substitutions were identified at positions 129 or 143 but, in seven of the isolates, glycine was replaced with serine at position 137. The ubiquitous nature of the detected intron provided strong evidence that the G143A substitution may not occur in F. effusum isolates, although resistance could still develop through intron loss events or the selection of intron-lacking genotypes, or as the result of other mutations in the cytb gene.