Abstract
Snow mold diseases are the most important winter disease on cereals and grasses. The diseases caused by infection of psychrophilic fungi called snow molds. However, host resistance to snow molds remains unknown. Here, we explored the possibility of using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model host to study snow mold disease. Two speckled snow mold species, Typhula ishikariensis and Typhula incarnata, were isolated from lesions on overwintering Arabidopsis leaves. These Typhula species re-infected Arabidopsis and formed sclerotia under laboratory conditions. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that T. ishikariensis penetrated Arabidopsis leaves through cuticles. These results suggest that Arabidopsis is susceptible to Typhula species, and can be used as a model host for studying of plant-snow mold interaction under snow.
