Table 1 Timeline of biological milestones in the genus Phytophthora
Year | Milestones in the genus Phytophthora | References |
|---|---|---|
1845 | Potato blight epidemic in Europe | Bourke (1991) |
1876 | Phytophthora infestans designated cause of potato blight | de Bary (1876) |
1892 | Phytophthora assigned to Peronosporales | Fischer (1892) |
1922 | ‘Heterothallism’ discovered (P. faberi; syn. P. palmivora) | |
1925 | First genus-wide physiological studies in Phytophthora | Leonian (1925) |
1931 | First major taxonomic treatises on Phytophthora | |
1935 | Thiamin requirement for growth demonstrated | |
1952 | Mode of evolution from lower to higher Peronosporales proposed | Gäumann and Wynd (1952) |
1960 | A1 and A2 compatibility types in ‘heterothallics’ are bisexual | Galindo and Gallegly (1960) |
1963 | Taxonomic key to ~ 40 known Phytophthora species | Waterhouse (1963) |
1963 | Oomycetes (Achlya, Pythium, Phytophthora, Sclerospora) shown to be diploid with gametangial meiosis | |
1964 | Exogenous sterols required for sexual reproduction | Elliot et al. (1964), Haskins et al. (1964), Hendrix (1964), Leal et al. (1964) |
1972 | ‘Battle for or against diploidy’ convention in Bari, Italy | Brasier (2008) |
1972 | Chemical/hormonal induction of sexual differentiation, including selfing, in A1 x A2 interactions | |
1973 | Phytophthora infestans shown to be diploid. First report of chromosomal structural hybrids (reciprocal translocation heterozygotes) in A1 x A2 outcrossing Phytophthoras | Sansome and Brasier (1973) |
1980 | Mitiotic segregation of the homozygous from the heterozygous mating type suppressed by reciprocal translocation heterozygosity | Sansome (1980) |
1980 | First molecular taxonomy based on protein and DNA polymorphisms | Kaosiri and Zentmyer (1980), Erselius and Shaw (1982), Hansen et al. (1986), Förster et al. (1988, 1990) |
1989 | Oomycetes assigned to Straminipila | |
1990 | Designation of Halophytophthora gen. nov | Ho and Jong (1990) |
1996 | Phytophthora reaches ~ 58 described species | Erwin and Ribeiro (1996) |
1998 | First interspecific hybrid described | Man in’t Veldt et al. (1998) |
1997 | Role of effector molecules in Phytophthora host specificity and pathogenesis | Kamoun et al. (1997) |
2000 | First molecular phylogeny of the oomycetes. Major Phytophthora clades identified. Downy mildews (Peronospora, Bremia) shown as evolved from Phytophthora | Cooke et al. (2000) |
2002 | World-wide surveys reveal many new Phytophthoras undetected in natural ecosystems | Jung et al. (2002, 2017b, 2018b, 2020, 2021; d), Brasier et al. (2010), Burgess et al. (2018), Dang et al. (2021) |
2004 | First multigene phylogeny of Phytophthora | Kroon et al. (2004) |
2007 | First multigene phylogeny of the oomycetes. Clade structure sustained | Göker et al. (2007) |
2009 | 400–600 Phytophthora species predicted | Brasier (2009) |
2014 | Divergence of Phytophthora Clades predicted at 19.8–39 m years ago | Matari and Blair (2014) |
2017 | Designation of Nothophytophthora gen. nov. Phytophthora origin pre the Gondwana-Laurasia separation (> 180 Myr) proposed | Jung et al. (2017a) |
2018 | Multiple evolution of downy mildews from Phytophthoras demonstrated | Bourret et al. (2018) |
2021 | First phylogeny from genome-wide sequencing. Clade structure sustained | Van Poucke et al. (2021) |
2021 | Phytophthora reaches 200 described species |