Assessing Uromycladium falcatarium Severity in Falcata Plantations Across Elevations in Mindanao | InformativeBD

Mhar O. Loquez, Carolina D. Amper,  Adrian M. Tulod, and Dennis M. Gilbero, from the different institute of the Philippines. wrote a Research Article about, Assessing Uromycladium falcatarium Severity in Falcata Plantations Across Elevations in Mindanao. Entitled, Morpho-quantitative analysis and severity assessment of Uromycladium falcatarium across elevation gradients and stand ages of falcata plantations in Mindanao, Philippines. This research paper published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES).  an open access scholarly research journal on Biodiversity . under the affiliation of the International Network For Natural Sciences| INNSpub. an open access multidisciplinary research journal publisher.

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the teliospore morpho-quantitative variations and severity of Uromycladium falcatarium Doungsa-ard, McTaggart, Geering & R.G. Shivas causing gall rust disease across elevations and stand ages of falcata plantations in Mindanao. Two falcata plantations were identified across elevations from Low (0-400 m asl), Moderate (>400-800 m asl), and High (>800 m asl) and were classified as non-harvestable (<5yo) and harvestable (>5yo) for the stand ages. Likewise, matured galls were also collected from each plantation for microscopic analysis of the fungal teliospores. The result revealed a significant increase in disease severity (P<0.01) of gall rust in Falcata and teliospore length (P<0.05) of the fungus as influenced by an increasing elevation from 400 m asl and above. Meanwhile, the teliospore width (P<0.05) and wall thickness (P<0.05) significantly varied between stand ages which revealed a wider width in harvestable (>5yo) and thicker wall in non-harvestable (<5yo), respectively. In addition, gall rust severity revealed a significant relationship between elevation and teliospore characteristics that correspond to the survival and prevalence of the fungus. This study provides substantial information and input in understanding the pathogen characteristics and survival under field conditions.

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Introduction

Falcata [Falcataria falcata (L.) Greuter & R. Rankin] is widely planted exotic species in the Philippines typically established in monoculture/intercropping systems which contribute approximately 70% of the country’s log production, particularly in Mindanao (Santos et al., 2010; FMB-DENR, 2021). The species is native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Australia and is known for its fast-growing characteristics and short cycle (Krisnawati et al., 2011). It is utilized in the production of pulp, lightweight packaging materials, paper, veneer, plywood, and furniture including as a source of wood for light construction and as a species for soil conservation strategies because of its nitrogen-fixing potential (Doloriel, 2023; Alipon et al., 2021; Marasigan et al., 2023).

Gall rust caused by Uromycladium falcatarium Doungsa-ard, McTaggart, Geering & R.G. Shivas has been a major problem in Falcata plantations. The fungus produces teliospores that are dispersed by wind causing severe damage to all growth stages of Falcata, from seedlings to mature trees resulting in stunted growth and severe cases, death (Rahayu et al., 2010; Widyastuti et al., 2013). The fungus has been prevalent in the country with slight occurrence at low elevations and severe infection at higher elevations consequently resulting in susceptible Falcata plantations at increasing elevations favoring the disease development (Lacandula et al., 2021; Rahayu et al., 2020; Tulod et al., 2023). However, the complex characteristics of the fungus remain a major concern in managing the disease in Falcata plantations.

The fungus U. falcatarium from U. tepperianum causing gall rust in Falcata was reclassified based on its teliospore wall morphology, host genus, and DNA sequence data (Doungsa-Ard et al., 2015). Likewise, morphological characteristics of an organism are influenced by several factors including host specificity, environmental condition, genetic diversity, geographical isolation, and even human activities. Obligate parasites like rust fungus are known to infect plants where they interact and co-evolve (Chowdhury et al., 2022), where the age of the host plant may influence the fungal infection. Several studies confirmed the influence of increasing elevations on the severity of gall rust disease in Falcata and the information on the morphological classification of the fungus was used only for taxonomic identification with limited information on the morpho-changes as influenced by elevations. Hence, this study aimed to assess the teliospore morphological-quantitative variations and severity of U. falcatarium across elevations and stand ages of falcata plantations.

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