Spatiotemporal Quantification of Plasmodiophora brassicae Inoculum in Relation to Clubroot Development Under Inoculated and Naturally Infested Field Conditions

Clubroot caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae is a destructive disease of cruciferous plants worldwide. A quantitative PCR (qPCR) system specific to P. brassicae was developed. Analysis of the qPCR sensitivity indicated that the lower limit of detection was 1 × 101 resting spores/ml, 1 × 102 spores/g of soil, and 1 × 103 spores/g of roots and seeds. The regression curves generated from the qPCR data of different samples had a parallel relationship. The difference between the theoretical and actual concentrations was lowest at 1 × 105 spores/g of sample, compared with other concentrations. The P. brassicae biomass in soil and plant root tissues after inoculated with different spore concentrations was correlated. A correlation analysis confirmed that the clubroot incidence and disease index at 6 weeks after inoculation increased as the spore concentration increased. Under field conditions, the natural inoculum density of the P. brassicae population decreased at the early stage and then increased, with P. brassicae mainly being detected at a soil depth of 0 to 50 cm. The horizontal distribution of P. brassicae varied in the field with occurrences of hot spots. This study established a qPCR-based method for quantitative detection of clubroot. The developed assay is useful for monitoring the spatiotemporal dynamics of P. brassicae in the field. It may also be applicable for clubroot forecasting as a part of proactive disease management.