Behnoush Hosseini

In my PhD project I am focusing on Phomopsis seed decay which is known as one of the most destructive soybean diseases, affecting seed quality and causing yield losses. The disease is caused primarily by Diaporthe longicolla along with other Diaporthe species.

Precise identification of the species is necessary for optimal control. DPC-damaged soybean seeds, which were collected from different regions and cultivars in Germany, France, and Austria were examined in order to identify the major contributors of seed decay in Europe. 32 Diaporthe strains could be isolated. Based on the combination of the results of morphological and molecular analyses, the strains could be classified into the four different species D. longicolla, D. caulivora, D. novem, and D. eres.

In order to develop a fast, sensitive and accurate method to detect these Diaporthe species via multiplex Real-Time PCR (RT-PCR), four species-specific TaqMan primer/probe sets based on sequences of ITS and TEF were designed. The specificity and efficiency of the designed primer/probe sets were tested. The results indicate that these primer/probe sets allow excellent discrimination of the four DPC species in parallel. Moreover, application of this multiplex RT-PCR has been extended to quantify these pathogens either absolutely via standard curves, which were obtained from serial dilutions of spore suspensions from each one of the Diaporthe species, or relatively against a soybean gene. Data are being collected to enable categorization of the severity of infestations. At the moment I am exploring and optimizing options for high throughput to establish our assay as a new method for screening soybean seed.

Gerassimos Peteinatos, Kim Haug, Abbas EI-Hasan, Behnoush Hosseini, Ralf T. Voegele, M. Pilar Cendrero-Mateo, Ortrud Jäck, Uwe Rascher, Roland Gerhards (2017):Hyperspectral detection of Diaporthe /Phomopsis complex on soybean infested seeds. Bornimer Agrartechnische Berichte, Herausgeber Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie e. V., 0947-7314, Seite 97-98  

Hosseini B, Voegele RT, Link TI. Establishment of a quadruplex real-time PCR assay to distinguish the fungal pathogens Diaporthe longicolla, D. caulivora, D. eres, and D. novem on soybean. PLoS ONE. 2021; 16(9):e0257225. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257225

Hosseini B, El-Hasan A, Link T, Voegele RT. Analysis of the species spectrum of the Diaporthe/Phomopsis complex in European soybean seeds. Mycological Progress. 2020; 19:455–469. doi.org/10.1007/s11557-020-01570-y

Hosseini B, Sarpele A, Farrokhi N. Functional secretomics of phytotoxic compounds of Monosporascus cannonballus. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology. 2018; 20(3):621–632.