Spatiotemporal variation in the fungal community associated with wheat leaves showing symptoms similar to stagonospora nodorum blotch

Abstract

The fungal communities on wheat leaves showing symptoms similar to stagonospora nodorum blotch were analysed using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). Collection of diseased leaves was carried out in eleven winter wheat fields located in three regions of Sweden during mid-July in 2003–2005. Fourteen different fungal species were found on the leaves out of which thirteen were identified to the species level and one to the genus level. The majority of the samples had between one and four species present of which at least one was a pathogen. Among the analysed leaves three major leaf pathogens were found: Phaeosphaeria nodorum was common during 2003 and 2004, Mycosphaerella graminicola dominated during 2005. Pyrenophora tritici-repentis was present in all fields, but sometimes in just a few samples. Phaeosphaeria nodorum and P. tritici-repentis often co-occurred on the same leaf. In addition, seven species of yeast and three saprophytes frequently occurred on the leaves every year. The variation in fungal community was largest between the different years while the region of Uppland diverged from the other two regions in species composition. No significant differences in fungal communities were found within a single field, indicating a uniform community at the lowest spatial level.