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May 2007
Spotlight Articles Selected by the Editors of Plant Disease, Phytopathology, and Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (MPMI) Plant Disease Editor’s Pick If you have ever eaten a butternut (Juglans cinerea), you know it is (literally) a tough nut to crack. By reading the article by Ostry and Moore, you also will know that butternut is highly susceptible to butternut canker caused by Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum. Because Persian walnut (J. regia) also is susceptible, Sirococcus could be a threat to the California walnut industry. Phytopathology Editor’s Pick Imperfect fungi lack a known sexual stage, and are thought to have limited genetic variability. Forgan et al. provide evidence that genetic variability in the barley scald pathogen (Rhynchosporium secalis) is due, in part, to asexual (parasexual) recombination. However, this exchange was limited to closely related isolates, suggesting vegetative incompatibility and other means of generating genetic variability. MPMI Editor’s Pick In the May issue of MPMI, Skamnioti et al. describe a novel function for catalase in the plant pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe grisea. One catalase in particular was important for cell wall strength, and hence penetration, but had no apparent role in protecting the fungus against host-produced hydrogen peroxide An online subscription is needed to access the full articles. Members of the media should contact Amy Steigman at mailto:asteigman@scisoc.org or +1.651.454.7250 for more information or to receive a copy of the full articles. Return to Plant Disease Interpretive Summaries Archive
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