Field Disease Incidence, Fungal Collection, and Evaluation of Koch's Postulates with Isolated Fungi from Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus X Giganteus) in Mississippi

Author

Maxwell Daniel Gilley

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Tomaso-Peterson, Maria

Committee Member

Allen, Thomas Ward, Jr.

Committee Member

Baldwin, Brian S.

Date of Degree

8-17-2013

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Entomology and Plant Pathology

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology

Abstract

The establishment of perennial grasses as biomass crops has increased the production acreage of giant miscanthus (Miscanthus x gigantues Greef et Deu, MXG). Yield loss and establishment failure could be detrimental to the sustainable production of this crop, and therefore, exploitation of differentiation in cultivar response to fungal diseases could be a key management strategy. A study was initiated in 2010 to evaluate MXG cultivars for foliar disease incidence (FDI) and compare to switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L., SG) cultivars, isolate and identify fungi from symptomatic leaf material, and demonstrate through Koch’s postulates the ability of these fungi to incite symptoms observed in the field. Giant miscanthus FDI ratings were similar between MXG cultivars, but significantly lower when compared to SG cultivars. Thirty genera of fungi were identified from fungal collections, and 16 pathogenic genera were isolated. Twelve isolates were selected and four were demonstrated to be pathogenic on Mxg.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/20082

Recommended Citation

Gilley, Maxwell Daniel, "Field Disease Incidence, Fungal Collection, and Evaluation of Koch's Postulates with Isolated Fungi from Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus X Giganteus) in Mississippi" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 2271.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/2271