Papers by Miloslav Kitner
Plant Disease, Aug 1, 2017
Plume-poppy (Macleaya R. Br.), a member of the Papaveraceae family, is typically grown in gardens... more Plume-poppy (Macleaya R. Br.), a member of the Papaveraceae family, is typically grown in gardens as a subject for flower arranging. In September 2015, during a survey of powdery mildew occurrence in the Medicinal Herbs Centre of the Faculty of Medicine and the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University in Brno (Czech Republic), extensive powdery mildew symptoms were found in small-fruited plume-poppy (Macleaya microcarpa (Maxim.) Fedde) plants (Fig. 1). In most plants, powdery mildew mycelium covered large portions of both the upper and the lower side of the leaves. Representative specimens were deposited in the herbarium of the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc. Both the anamorph and the teleomorph stages of the fungus were found. At least 30 independent measurements were obtained to describe its morphological characteristics of the fungus. We observed cylindrical to ellipsoid conidia (25-40 × 12-18 µm; length/width ratio 1.5-3.2), which matured ...
Fottea, 2004
The occurrence, morphology and autecology of Desmidiales were studied in the Bílé Karpaty Mts. an... more The occurrence, morphology and autecology of Desmidiales were studied in the Bílé Karpaty Mts. and Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts., on the border between the Czech and Slovak Republic. A total of 40 taxa were found; species Actinotaenium cucurbitinum, Closterium cynthia var. latum, Cosmarium tetraophtalmum, Euastrum ansatum var. pyxidatum, Staurastrum senarium, Staurodesmus cuspidatus were recorded for the first time from the territory of the Czech Republic; species Closterium costatum, Cl. cynthia, Cl. lunula, Cosmarium cucumis, C. nasutum f. granulata, C. pachydermum, C. plicatum, Euastrum dubium var. dubium, E. dubium var. ornatum, E. insulare var. insulare, E. insulare var. silesiacum, Micrasterias papillifera, M. rotata, Netrium digitus var. latum, Pleurotaenium crenulatum, Staurastrum punctulatum were recorded for the first time from Moravia and five new taxa for Slovak Republic were identified-Cosmarium plicatum, C. depressum f. minutum, C. nasutum f. granulata, Mesotaenium de greyi, Netrium digitus var. latum. Interesting taxa were documented in drawings or SEM microphotographs.
Plant Disease, Jun 1, 2015
Springer eBooks, 2019
This chapter presents a brief history of the uses of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and its wild Nor... more This chapter presents a brief history of the uses of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and its wild North American relatives, and reviews the agricultural importance of lettuce and challenges in its cultivation, in relation to nutritional quality, diseases, pests, and edaphic and climatic limitations. The evolution and taxonomy of the genus Lactuca are presented, with a primary focus on the wild Lactuca species of North America, their characterization, biogeography and distribution, habitat ecology, and genepools. Specific examples of phenotypic variability, genetic diversity and disease resistance of wild Lactuca taxa from both published reports and recent evaluations conducted in our laboratory are also presented. The past (and future) exploitation of wild Lactuca relatives in lettuce breeding is examined and discussed in the broader context of crop improvement. The current status of in situ and ex situ conservation of wild and weedy North American Lactuca is reviewed, along with recommendations on how these genetic resources could be better conserved and utilized.
Plant Disease, Mar 1, 2015
Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an annual aromatic and medicinal plant in the Lamiaceae that... more Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an annual aromatic and medicinal plant in the Lamiaceae that is originally native to India but is grown in warm regions all over the world. It is a popular culinary herb used fresh and dried, and is used in traditional folk medicine. In the Czech Republic, sweet basil is grown commercially in South Moravia or by home gardeners as a potted plant. In 2012, severe downy mildew was observed in a field of basil plants (cv. Dark Green) at the Crop Research Institute (CRI) in Olomouc, Czech Republic. Infected leaves each exhibited large, interveinal, chlorotic lesions, and violet-gray, fuzzy growth on the lower leaf surface. Within a few days, lesions turned necrotic and severely infected leaves dropped prematurely. Microscopic observations revealed hyaline conidiophores typical of Peronospora Corda, emerging from stomata. Conidiophores (n = 100) were usually 239.9 to 296.5 × 8.7 to 10.6 μm, straight, and were branched 4 or 5 times submonopodially at the upper ends. Ultimate branchlets (n = 100) were slightly curved and obtuse, with the longer branchlets usually 17.8 to 22.7 μm and the shorter branchlets 10.0 to 12.9 μm, and each bearing a single conidium. Conidia (n = 100) were olive-brown, mostly ellipsoidal to subglobose, and typically 29.0 to 31.0 × 23.2 to 25.4 μm, with a length/width ratio of 1.2 to 1.3. Oospores were not observed. Based on these morphological characteristics, the pathogen was identified as Peronospora belbahrii Thines (5). The specimen was deposited in a local herbarium at the CRI in Olomouc, as voucher PB-1. Genomic DNA was extracted from conidia, and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) amplified with primers DC-6 (1) and LR-0 (4). A sequence was deposited in the NCBI database (GenBank Accession No. KJ960193). A BLAST search of the NCBI database revealed 99% identity to the deposited ITS sequences of P. belbahrii from basil and other host species (EU863410, FJ394334-7, GQ390794, GQ390795, HM462241, HM462242, HM486901, HQ702191, HQ730979, KC756923, KF419289, and KF419290). P. belbahrii was first described by Thines et al. (5) as a pathogen of sweet basil and coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides), but can also infect Agastache spp. (2). There are many reports indicating the pathogen is spreading throughout the world (5). In Europe, chronologically, basil downy mildew has been reported from Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, and Cyprus (2,3,5). To our knowledge, this is the first report of natural occurrence of downy mildew on sweet basil in the Czech Republic. References: (1) D. E. L. Cooke et al. Fung. Genet. Biol. 30:17, 2000. (2) D. F. Farr and A. Y. Rossman. Fungal Databases. Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory, USDA ARS. Retrieved from http://nt.ars-grin.gov/fungaldatabases/ , 16 June 2014. (3) A. Garibaldi et al. Plant Dis. 89:683, 2005. (4) O. Spring et al. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 114:309, 2006. (5) M. Thines et al. Mycol. Res. 113:532, 2009.
Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, Dec 21, 2014
It is important to optimize strategies for collecting wild germplasm from their natural habitats ... more It is important to optimize strategies for collecting wild germplasm from their natural habitats for the successful conservation of plant genetic resources. We studied the population structure of three predominantly self-pollinating wild Lactuca species (Lactuca serriola, L. saligna, and L. aculeata). Seeds for this study were collected from individual plants in northern Israel, along a line transect, and two populations per each Lactuca species. The distance between neighboring plants sampled for seeds varied from 1.5 to 37 m. The transect length at single sites ranged from 47.2 to 151.8 m. The taxonomic status of 67 individual plants was morphologically validated during greenhouse multiplication. Both genetic structure and diversity were analyzed by using 11 EST–SSR loci and 230 AFLP markers. Relatively low genetic diversity values were observed, increasing in the following order: L. aculeata < L. serriola < L. saligna. Network analysis clearly separated samples according to their taxonomic determination; also reflecting the gene diversity as well as the genetic distance values among the three species. Nevertheless, given the predominantly selfing character of these species, populations were not uniform (genetically and morphologically). It seems that overall genetic variation in a population increases at its periphery, due to the presence of plants with “non-indigenous” alleles, which are most likely coming from migration and subsequent interpopulation or interspecific hybridization. Mantel tests generally indicated a positive association between genetic distance and micro-geographical distance of a particular population, primarily due to the “outlier” samples collected at a population’s periphery.
Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, Jun 1, 2012
The wild lettuce, Lactuca aculeata Boiss, is a robust and very prickly annual plant geographicall... more The wild lettuce, Lactuca aculeata Boiss, is a robust and very prickly annual plant geographically restricted to the Near East and the Anatolian plateau. Israel is within the conjectured centre of origin of L. aculeata, which is closely related and fully interfertile with cultivated lettuce, Lactuca sativa L. Twenty-eight L. aculeata, five Lactuca serriola, and three putative hybrids L. aculeata  L. serriola, i.e. total 36 accessions, representing 13 populations from Israel and 3 from Jordan, were studied. Material originated from various elevations (222-968 m a.s.l.) and habitats. Seeds (achenes) were collected from individual plants, generally separated by at least 2 m to avoid collection of duplicated material, at different sites across Israel. The material was regenerated and taxonomically validated at the Department of Botany, Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic. Morphological characterization showed that the Israeli populations of L. aculeata do not exhibit broad morphological variability. Eight enzymatic systems were analysed for their polymorphism (esterase, glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase, leucine aminopeptidase, malic enzyme, NADH dehydrogenase, phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, phosphoglucomutase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase). In total, nine of 21 loci scored for the entire set of Lactuca spp. samples exhibited polymorphic character. A highly homogeneous group of the 28 (ca 75%) L. aculeata accessions were grouped in one compact cluster, while the remaining accessions formed additional two smaller clusters with higher values of genetic distance indices. The five L. serriola accessions constituted the most distant cluster. Three accessions exhibiting a phenotypically intermediate character between L. aculeata and L. serriola, grouped together. They are considered natural putative hybrids of L. aculeata  L. serriola. The origin and evolutionary consequences of these hybrids are discussed.
Mycological Progress, Mar 1, 2019
Golovinomyces orontii is a common plurivorous powdery mildew species with wide host range and wor... more Golovinomyces orontii is a common plurivorous powdery mildew species with wide host range and worldwide distribution, usually occurring as asexual morph. Ascomata (chasmothecia) are rarely formed on most hosts. Phylogenetic analyses based on rDNA ITS and 28S rDNA data of a wide range of powdery mildew collections of G. orontii s. lat. suggested a high degree of genetic heterogeneity of this species, which is undoubtedly not monophyletic. This study revealed that sequences retrieved from numerous collections referred to as G. orontii (s. lat.) split into three distinct main clusters, previously classified as groups 1 to 3. These groups have been genetically and morphologically analyzed, circumscribed, and named. One cluster (group 2), including a sequence retrieved from powdery mildew on the type host of Erysiphe orontii, Misopates orontium, constitutes G. orontii s. str. G. tabaci comb. nov. (≡ E. tabaci) is introduced for the second cluster in group 1 that is genetically and morphologically clearly distinct from G. orontii s. str. The third assemblage of sequences (group 3) comprises powdery mildews on hosts of the composite tribe Cichorieae, including Cichorium and Lactuca spp., and a wide range of hosts belonging to various other plant families for which the name G. bolayi sp. nov. is proposed. Euoidium longipes and Euoidium lycopersici, two additional powdery mildew species on solanaceous hosts, are briefly discussed and, based on previous phylogenetic analyses, reallocated to Golovinomyces. Oidium lactucae-debilis on Ixeris japonica in Asia is tentatively reduced to synonymy with G. sonchicola, i.e., it does not pertain to the G. orontii s. lat. complex. G. orontii s. lat. on Vinca spp. (Apocynaceae), mostly known as asexual morph, represents a separate species only distantly related to G. orontii s. str., which is described herein as Golovinomyces vincae sp. nov. Some reexamined collections on Vinca major from Germany misidentified as G. orontii turned out to belong to Ramularia vincae and represent first records of this species for Germany. Golovinomyces spadiceus is a further plurivorous Golovinomyces species discussed in this work, which, however, does not belong to the G. orontii complex. Keywords Golovinomyces bolayi sp. nov.. Golovinomyces longipes comb. nov.. Golovinomyces lycopersici comb. nov.. Golovinomyces tabaci comb. nov.. Golovinomyces vincae sp. nov.. Molecular analyses. Golovinomyces spadiceus. Powdery mildews. Erysiphales
Preslia, 2012
Genetická struktura populací Artemisia pancicii odvozená z AFLP a cpDNA dat Miloslav K i t n e r ... more Genetická struktura populací Artemisia pancicii odvozená z AFLP a cpDNA dat Miloslav K i t n e r 1 , Ľuboš M a j e s k ý 1 , Lenka G i l l o v á 2 , Tomáš V y m y s l i c k ý 3 & Matthias N a g l e r 4,5
Crop Science, Nov 1, 2019
REVIEW & INTERPRETATION C rop wild relatives (CWR) represent a large pool of genetic diversity fr... more REVIEW & INTERPRETATION C rop wild relatives (CWR) represent a large pool of genetic diversity from which to draw new allelic variation required in breeding programs (Maxted et al., 2006). Crop wild relatives have been extremely valuable in adapting crop varieties
Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, Nov 1, 2009
Prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola) is worldwide distributed and very variable species generally c... more Prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola) is worldwide distributed and very variable species generally considered as a progenitor of the cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Altogether, 50 populations of L. serriola were characterized by means of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and by isozyme analysis. Relationships among individuals and populations were examined by applying the unweighted pair-group method with the arithmetic averages (UPGMA) clustering algorithm, principal coordinate analysis (PCA) and the Nei's gene diversity index. The studied set of populations split into three main groups based on the AFLP polymorphism analysis. The first group contained L. sativa (control). The second group comprised two L. serriola accessions; one of them was identified as L. serriola f. integrifolia and the other as a mixture of two L. serriola forms. The largest and the most diverse third group contained the remaining L. serriola accessions. The population clustering corresponded approximately to their geographical distribution in Europe. At least five distinct geographic groups were recognised: 1) Northern European; 2) Slovenian; 3) very heterogeneous Central and Western European (mostly north of the Alps); 4) Mediterranean; 5) prevalence of L. serriola f. integrifolia, mostly comprising accessions from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. This study showed that accessions originating in various eco-geographical conditions of Europe differ significantly in their genetic and protein polymorphism, as well as in morphology. Some European L. serriola populations (e.g. from Scandinavia and United Kingdom/British Isles/) seems to be isolated and homogeneous; in contrast, populations occurring in Central Europe are very diverse and genetically overlapping.
Acta horticulturae, Dec 1, 2011
In the years 2002-2008, missions were undertaken in the USA and Canada to search for wild and wee... more In the years 2002-2008, missions were undertaken in the USA and Canada to search for wild and weedy Lactuca species. Altogether, 16 states in the USA (Arizona,
Molecules and Cells, Apr 1, 2009
This paper reports on the structural rearrangement of satellite DNA type I repeats and heterochro... more This paper reports on the structural rearrangement of satellite DNA type I repeats and heterochromatin during the dedifferentiation and cell cycling of mesophyll protoplasts of cucumber (Cucumis sativus). These repeats were localized in the telomeric heterochromatin of cucumber chromosomes and in the chromocenters of interphase nuclei. The dramatic reduction of heterochromatin involves decondensation of subtelomeric repeats in freshly isolated protoplasts; however, there are not a great many remarkable changes in the expression profile. In spite of that, reformation of the chromocenters, occurring 48 h after protoplast isolation, is accompanied by recondensation of satellite DNA type I; however, only partial reassembly of these repeats was revealed. In this study, FISH and a flow cytometry assay show a correlation between the partial chromocenter and the repeats reassembly, and with the reentry of cultivated protoplasts into the cell cycle and first cell division. After that, divided cells displayed a higher variability in the expression profile than did leaves&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; mesophyll cells and protoplasts.
Israel Journal of Plant Sciences, Dec 1, 2008
Lactuca saligna L. (least lettuce, willow-leaf lettuce) is widely distributed around the Mediterr... more Lactuca saligna L. (least lettuce, willow-leaf lettuce) is widely distributed around the Mediterranean basin and extends to the Caucasus and temperate Europe; its extra-European distribution covers the Middle East. The aim of this study was to estimate the level of molecular variation and the extent of genetic differentiation of L. saligna in accessions collected in natural and semi-natural habitats in Europe and the Middle East. In sum, 67 accessions of L. saligna, originating in four European countries (Czech Republic, France, Italy, Portugal) and three Middle Eastern countries (Israel, Jordan, Turkey), were compared on the basis of AFLP polymorphism. AFLP analysis of the accessions revealed 415 (84.7%) polymorphic fragments out of 490 fragments amplified by means of seven primer pair combinations. The number of bands produced by individual primer pair combinations ranged from 44 to 101. The UPGMA dendrogram generated from Jaccard's similarity matrix showed a similar genetic background of accessions from the Middle East (Turkey, Israel, Jordan), which were quite distinct from the group of accessions from the European part of the Mediterranean basin (Italy, France, Portugal). Surprisingly, two accessions, one from the Czech Republic (central Europe) and one from Israel, proved genetically wholly separate from all other accessions of L. saligna and are themselves wholly separate. Accessions originating in various eco-geographical conditions were found to differ significantly in their genetic polymorphism.
Plant protection science, Sep 30, 2020
Powdery mildews on the Asteraceae family were surveyed during 2007-2015 in the Czech Republic wit... more Powdery mildews on the Asteraceae family were surveyed during 2007-2015 in the Czech Republic with the aim to increase our knowledge about occurrence, morphological characteristics and host specificity of powdery mildews on this family. In total, 32 host species with symptoms of powdery mildew were collected, and the fungal species were identified based on microscopic observations. These showed great variability in their morphological characteristics. Our study confirmed the high host specificity of powdery mildew species to their original hosts. A deeper knowledge of the taxonomy of the Asteraceae has brought substantial changes in the delimitation of powdery mildew species. In particular, delimitation of the three varieties of Golovinomyces asterum was studied and discussed.
Acta Botanica Croatica, Oct 1, 2018
The study involved 121 samples of the common weed, Lactuca serriola L. (prickly lettuce), represe... more The study involved 121 samples of the common weed, Lactuca serriola L. (prickly lettuce), representing 53 populations from Sweden and Slovenia. The seed materials, originating from different habitats, were regenerated and taxonomically validated at the Department of Botany, Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic. The morphological characterizations of the collected plant materials classified all 121 samples as L. serriola f. serriola; one sample was heterogeneous, and also present was L. serriola f. integrifolia. Differences in the amount and distribution of the genetic variations between the two regions were analyzed using 257 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and 7 microsatellite (SSRs) markers. Bayesian clustering and Neighbor-Network were used for visualization of the differences among the samples by country. Under the Bayesian approach, the best partitioning (according to the most frequent signals) was resolved into three groups. While the absence of an admixture or low admixture was detected in the Slovenian samples, and the majority of the Swedish samples, a significant admixture was detected in the profiles of five Swedish samples collected near Malmö, which bore unique morphological features of their rosette leaves. The Neighbor-Network analysis divided the samples into 6 groups, each consisting of samples coming from a particular country. Reflection of morphology and eco-geographical conditions in genetic variation are also discussed.
Plant Pathology, Apr 10, 2015
Pseudoperonospora cubensis is an oomycete pathogen causing downy mildew disease on a variety of C... more Pseudoperonospora cubensis is an oomycete pathogen causing downy mildew disease on a variety of Cucurbitaceae, and has recently re-emerged as a destructive disease on crops in this family, mainly on cucumber and squash. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of four mitochondrial and two nuclear DNA regions was used to detect changes in the genetic structure of P. cubensis populations occurring in the Czech Republic that might be associated with recently reported shifts in virulence. The analysed sample set contains 67 P. cubensis isolates collected from 1995 to 2012 in the Czech Republic and some other European countries. Sequence analyses revealed differences and changes in the genetic backgrounds of P. cubensis isolates. While all isolates sampled before 2009 exhibited the genotype of the subspecies of Clade II and were collected from cucumber, all samples collected from other hosts belonged to Clade I (P. cubensis sensu stricto) or were sampled from 2009 onwards. In addition, 67Á16% of all post-2009 isolates from Clade II had two heterozygous positions in their nrITS sequence, which suggests sexual reproduction and/or a mutational origin. Thus, the results indicate that, apart from the rise in prevalence of Clade I, the change in the genetic structure of P. cubensis populations may be linked with a hybridization or, less likely, a mutation event that rendered strains able to infect a broader spectrum of host species.
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Papers by Miloslav Kitner