Plant-Destroying Microbes Probed

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Plant-Destroying Microbes Probed

By ANDREW BRIDGES

AP Science Writer

October 18, 2002, 9:26 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- Scientists in California and Virginia will try to decode the

genetic makeup of two plant-destroying microbes, including one blamed for

killing tens of thousands of oak trees along the West Coast.

Backed by $4 million in federal grants, the scientists hope to sequence the

genomes of the two species of Phytophthora to find ways to track, detect and

eventually treat both diseases.

The more notorious microbe is P. ramorum, which causes sudden oak death

syndrome. It has killed tens of thousands of black oak, coast live oak and

tan oak trees in Northern California and southern Oregon since it appeared

in 1995. This year, scientists discovered coast redwoods and fir are

also susceptible, as are at least 14 other plant species.

" We're really worried this could be the beginning of something terrible, "

Boore of the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute said

of the infestation.

Scientists at the Walnut Creek institute and at the Virginia Bioinformatics

Institute in Blacksburg, Va., also will sequence the genome of P. sojae, a

related microbe responsible for soy rot, which is estimated to cause $1

billion in damages to soybean crops worldwide.

" The genome sequences of these two species will for the first time enable us

to identify and target their vulnerabilities in order to control them, " said

Brett Tyler, a Virginia molecular biologist.

Both genomes will be freely available on the Internet once completed.

The two funguslike organisms are closely related to algae. Among their

relatives is P. infestans, the microbe responsible for Ireland's potato

famine in the 19th century. The name Phytophthora means " plant devourer " in

Greek.

Because the microbes, called Stramenopiles or water molds, come from a

different kingdom of life than most other pathogens, most pesticides and

fungicides have no effect on them.

Funding for the one-year project comes from the National Science Foundation,

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Energy.

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On the Net:

http://www.vbi.vt.edu/

http://www.jgi.doe.gov/

http://www.suddenoakdeath.org/

Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press