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Population structure of the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in common bean fields of Argentina

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Abstract

S. sclerotiorum is the causal agent of the white mould disease on common bean crops, one of the most threatening fungal diseases occurring across major bean production regions. Currently, there are no commercial cultivars with high levels of genetic resistance to white mould. The aim of this study was to analyse the population structure of 109 isolates of S. sclerotiorum from six dry bean fields in the main production area of Argentina using nine microsatellite loci. A total of 30 multilocus haplotypes (MLHs) were identified, of which 18 MLHs were unique. The remaining 12 MLHs were constituted by 83% of the isolates, six MLHs of which (composed of 75 isolates) were shared at least between two locations. Population genetic structure analysis and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) identified two genetic clusters (subpopulations). The genetic cluster 1 (GC 1) was composed of 21 isolates and 15 MLHs. Similarly, the genetic cluster 2 (GC 2) was composed of 23 isolates and 15 MLHs. These two genetic clusters were observed in most locations sampled. Low levels of genetic differentiation (ΦST = 0.198; P < 0.0001) followed by high levels of gene flow (Nm > 1) between genetic clusters were observed. Linkage disequilibrium analysis showed that one of the two genetic subpopulations was under linkage equilibrium (P > 0.001), which is consistent with recombinant populations. These results suggest the occurrence of both modes of reproductive behaviour, clonal and recombining, compromising the durability of management strategies for white mould disease in common bean cultivars.

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All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].

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Acknowledgements

Abán, Taboada, Spedaletti and Maita are fellows of Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina. Galván is CONICET researcher. The authors thank CONICET and Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) for supporting this research. We gratefully acknowledge Atilio Castagnaro, Francisca Perera and Natalia Ovejero from EEAOC, Tucumán, Argentina for technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), CCT-Salta. J.M. Leguizamón 366 (4400), Salta, Argentina

    Carla L. Abán, Gisel Taboada, Yamila Spedaletti, Efraín Maita & Marta Z. Galván

  2. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) EEA Salta, Ruta Nac. 68 Km 172 (4403) Cerrillos, Salta, Argentina

    Carla L. Abán, Gisel Taboada, Yamila Spedaletti & Marta Z. Galván

  3. Laboratorio de Investigaciones Botánicas (LABIBO), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Av. Bolivia 5150 (4400), Salta, Argentina

    Efraín Maita

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  1. Carla L. Abán
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  2. Gisel Taboada
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Correspondence to Marta Z. Galván.

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Supplementary Information

Figure S1

Discriminate analysis of principal components (DAPC) to infer population substructure. A) Bayesian Inference Criterion (BIC) values versus number of clusters (K). B) Scatterplot of the first two principal components showing the differentiation between the two subpopulations by colours. (PDF 427 kb)

Table S1

Allelic diversity at nine microsatellite loci used to characterize S. sclerotiorum isolates from the main common bean fields of Argentina. (PDF 427 kb) (PDF 106 kb)

Table S2

Microsatellite profile of the 109 isolates of S. sclerotiorum studied. The multilocus haplotype (MLH), Micelial compatibility group (MCG) and genetic cluster (GC) inferred by Structure for each isolate, are indicated. (PDF 106 kb) (PDF 163 kb)

Table S3

Allelic richness (A) and private allelic richness (Ap) estimated using rarefaction method at seven microsatellite loci in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum locations from northwestern Argentina and genetic clusters inferred from Structure analysis. (PDF 163 kb) (PDF 22 kb)

Table S4

Pairwise linkage disequilibrium between seven microsatellite loci used to characterize all isolates of S. sclerotiorum after clone correction. IA (below diagonal) and \( {\overline{r}}_d \) (above diagonal). (PDF 22 kb) (PDF 311 kb)

Table S5

Microsatellite haplotype (MLH) designations and frequencies associated with mycelial compatibility group (MCG) of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum isolates from common bean fields in northwestern Argentina. (PDF 311 kb) (PDF 41 kb)

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Abán, C.L., Taboada, G., Spedaletti, Y. et al. Population structure of the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in common bean fields of Argentina. Eur J Plant Pathol 160, 841–853 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-021-02288-7

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