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Wild strawberry plants from Europe may contain keys to healthy cultivated strawberries
Published: 30 September 2024
Wild strawberry plants have a constant companion in the form of a black yeast-like fungus. This yeast acts as a bodyguard and protects the strawberry against various plant diseases. Can the yeast also help protect commercial strawberry crops? Researchers from Alnarp wanted to find out, and to do so they asked for help and got wild strawberries sent to them from all over Europe.
Wild strawberries grow almost all over Europe and are constantly exposed to microbial pests that can cause disease. But the strawberries also have "friendly" microorganisms that help them against diseases. One of these is a type of black yeast-like fungus called Aureobasidium pullulans. Since wild strawberries are closely related to cultivated garden strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa), it is of course interesting to find out if this fungus can be used to keep diseases away from cultivated strawberry plants.
Nataliia Khomutovska at the Department of Plant Protection Biology in Alnarp, is a postdoc in the research project.
– The characteristics of different isolates of Aureobasidium pullulans can be different. Therefore, we wanted to investigate how the characteristics of the fungus vary in wild strawberry plants across Europe. At the same time, we wanted to look at variation in the wild strawberry's resistance to various diseases. How do the characteristics of the fungus and the resistance of the wild strawberries vary and is there a connection between the two?
Asking for help with a film on social media
How do you motivate scientists from all over Europe to help with a rather complicated sampling and to then send strawberry plants to Swedish researchers?
– We made a film where I asked for help and explained how to take the samples according to a fixed protocol. We posted the film on various social media. To participate, you had to be affiliated with a university or research institute. As an incentive, the persons whose strawberries we managed to isolate Aureobasidium pullulans from was offered to be co-authors on our first paper in the project, says Nataliia.
– It was great to involve so many people in this, and the samples will help us understand how plant/microbe associations develop on a continental scale and can provide insight into how we can optimize plant protection for cultivated strawberries, says Johan Stenberg, Professor at the same department.
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Wild strawberry plants were sent in from researchers in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Great Britain, Sweden, Germany, Ukraine, Spain and the Czech Republic. Photo: Nataliia Khomutovska.
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Not all samples were sent, but both Johan and Nataliia travelled to take more samples to complete the collection, for example in Switzerland. Photo: Nataliia Khomutovska.
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Wild strawberries do not only grow in forests but can be found growing in places just about anywhere. Photo: Cajsa Lithell.
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Strawberries are affected by the same diseases as wild strawberries, and therefore the wild strawberry's constant companion and "bodyguard" Auroebasidium pullulans can also be helpful in commercial strawberry farms. Here Nataliia Khomutovska looks at strawberry plants in the greenhouse. Photo: Cajsa Lithell.
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Samples from all over Europe
In total, 246 samples were collected for the project. Nataliia and Johan took samples themselves as well.
– We received samples from for example Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine. However, it was more difficult to get material from south-eastern Europe, says Nataliia.
– We are very happy to have those samples sent to us. However, most of the genotypes we will use in the study, we collected ourselves. In addition to the countries mentioned, we also gathered strawberry plants in Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland, Slovenia and Austria, continues Nataliia.
The black yeast-like fungus isolated from almost all plants
How did it go then, did all the samples arrive properly in the mail?
– Some samples sent to us by regular mail from southern Europe during the hot summer period arrived in poor condition sometimes. Otherwise, everything has gone surprisingly well. I was worried that we wouldn't succeed in isolating the wild strawberry’s constant companion, Auroebasidium pullulans, from all the plants, but Nataliia has done a great job and succeeded in almost all cases, says Johan.
Interested and motivated researchers sent in plants
Now, Johan and Nataliia will save the samples and continue using them for many years in several projects and international collaborations.
– The challenge now is to keep all 246 plant genotypes and all 244 strains of Auroebasidium pullulans alive. The sampling worked best in countries where we managed to involve local researchers, says Nataliia.
– Collecting samples in a scientific way is demanding. A special protocol must be followed, and those who help collect samples thus often qualified for co-authorship. Those researchers have also been given the opportunity to contribute to the analysis work and writing. Everyone who contributed has been interested and motivated, says Johan.
Large variations in disease resistance
Nataliia has now screened all the wild strawberries for resistance to plant diseases. She has also screened the black yeast's biological control potential.
– My results show that the characteristics vary greatly between plants. Some geographic and ecoclimatic factors help to explain the variation in resistance and biological control potential. These are exciting results that I am analyzing further now, concludes Nataliia.
Links:
Help us sample wild strawberries!
- The instructions that were sent out to those who wanted to help collect wild strawberry plants.