title: Attack modes and defence reactions in pathosystems involving Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Brassica carinata, B. juncea and B. napus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) is a damaging disease of oilseed brassicas world-wide. Host resistance is urgently needed to achieve control, yet the factors that contribute to stem resistance are not well understood. This study investigated the mechanisms of resistance to SSR.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stems of 5-week-old Brassica carinata, B. juncea and B. napus of known resistance were infected via filter paper discs impregnated with S. sclerotiorum mycelium under controlled conditions. Transverse sections of the stem and portions of the stem surface were examined using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The association of anatomical features with the severity of disease (measured by mean lesion length) was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several distinct resistance mechanisms were recorded for the first time in these Brassica-pathogen interactions, including hypersensitive reactions and lignification within the stem cortex, endodermis and in tissues surrounding the lesions. Genotypes showing a strong lignification response 72 h post-infection (hpi) tended to have smaller lesions. Extensive vascular invasion by S. sclerotiorum was observed only in susceptible genotypes, especially in the vascular fibres and xylem. Mean lesion length was negatively correlated with the number of cell layers in the cortex, suggesting progress of S. sclerotiorum is impeded by more cell layers. Hyphae in the centre of lesions became highly vacuolate 72 hpi, reflecting an ageing process in S. sclerotiorum hyphal networks that was independent of host resistance. The infection process of S. sclerotiorum was analogous in B. carinata and B. napus. Infection cushions of the highly virulent isolate of S. sclerotiorum MBRS-1 were grouped together in dense parallel bundles, while hyphae in the infection cushions of a less aggressive isolate WW-3 were more diffuse, and this was unaffected by host genotype.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A variety of mechanisms contribute to host resistance against S. sclerotiorum across the three Brassica species. These complex interactions between pathogen and host help to explain variable expressions of resistance often observed in the field.
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology, martin.barbetti@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Margaret B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Uloth
authors.affiliation: Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis and.
authors.forename: Peta L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Clode
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology and The UWA Institute of Agriculture, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Ming Pei
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: You
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology and The UWA Institute of Agriculture, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia martin.barbetti@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Barbetti
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D001937:Brassica / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D060467:Disease Resistance; D005453:Fluorescence; D005838:Genotype; D008031:Lignin / Q000378:metabolism; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D008031:Lignin
keywords: B. juncea; B. napus; Brassica carinata; Sclerotinia stem rot; fungal infection; histopathology; host–pathogen interaction; hypersensitive reaction; infection cushion; lignification; resistance; white mould