Tobacco blue mould disease caused by Peronospora hyoscyami f. sp. tabacina.

Blue mould [Peronospora hyoscyami f. sp. tabacina (Adam) Skalicky 1964] is one of the most important foliar diseases of tobacco that causes significant losses in the Americas, south-eastern Europe and the Middle East. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the mechanisms employed by this oomycete pathogen to colonize its host, with emphasis on molecular aspects of pathogenicity. In addition, key biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in tobacco resistance to blue mould are discussed. TAXONOMY: Kingdom: Chromista (Straminipila); Phylum: Heterokontophyta; Class: Oomycete; Order: Peronosporales; Family: Peronosporaceae; Genus: Peronospora; Species: Peronospora hyoscyami f. sp. tabacina. DISEASE SYMPTOMS: The pathogen typically causes localized lesions on tobacco leaves that appear as single, or groups of, yellow spots that often coalesce to form light-brown necrotic areas. Some of the leaves exhibit grey to bluish downy mould on their lower surfaces. Diseased leaves can become twisted, such that the lower surfaces turn upwards. In such cases, the bluish colour of the diseased plants becomes quite conspicuous, especially under moist conditions when sporulation is abundant. Hence the name of the disease: tobacco blue mould. INFECTION PROCESS: The pathogen develops haustoria within plant cells that are thought to establish the transfer of nutrients from the host cell, and may also act in the delivery of effector proteins during infection. RESISTANCE: Several defence responses have been reported to occur in the Nicotiana tabacum-P. hyoscyami f. sp. tabacina interaction. These include the induction of pathogenesis-related genes, and a correlated increase in the activities of typical pathogenesis-related proteins, such as peroxidases, chitinases, beta-1,3-glucanases and lipoxygenases. Systemic acquired resistance is one of the best characterized tobacco defence responses activated on pathogen infection.