Phenotypic and Molecular Identification of Pathogenic Fusarium Species Isolated from Various Pulse Growing Geographic Areas of India

Fusarium phythopathogenic fungi is responsible for high economic loss of cereal food crop. The objective of this study was aimed at isolation, morphological and molecular identification of Fusarium species. 13 different Fusarium spp. i.e. F. solani, F. chlamydosporum, F. tabacinum, F. fujikuroi, F. oxysporum, F. verticillioides, F. brachygibbosum, Fusarium sp. and F. incarnatum were isolated and identified from diseased samples of chickpea, pigeonpea, rice, lentil and garden pea crop. Colony characteristics like colony color, colony growth diameters, mycelium type, sporulation, pigmentation, odour were obtained after culture purification. Shape, size and septation of microconidia and macroconidia, position, shape, occurrence and size of chlamydospores, conidiophore branching were examined microscopically. MS10, BI01 and KA14 isolates were slow growing, BI02 and UP07 were moderate growing and BI03, HA04, MS06, MS09, MS11 and KA(Gul)13 were fast to very fast growing on PDA after 7-10 days. Chlamydospores were found in most of the isolates. Colonies were abundant, loosely tufted, fluffy, pannose, vinaceous floccose, powdery and some were flat appressed, arachnoid. Pigmentation of most of the isolates was pinkish white to dark pink, carmine to violet in colour. Phylogenetic analysis was done by maximum likelihood method using the ITS-rDNA region of Fusarium isolates and multiple sequence alignment of ITS DNA sequences was done using Clustal_W program and all identified sequences were submitted in NCBI GenBank database.

The taxonomy of two uncultivated fungal mammalian pathogens is revealed through phylogeny and population genetic analyses

Ever since the uncultivated South American fungal pathogen Lacazia loboi was first described 90 years ago, its etiology and evolutionary traits have been at the center of endless controversies. This pathogen infects the skin of humans and as long believed, dolphin skin. However, recent DNA analyses of infected dolphins placed its DNA sequences within Paracoccidioides species. This came as a surprise and suggested the human and dolphin pathogens may be different species. In this study, population genetic analyses of DNA from four infected dolphins grouped this pathogen in a monophyletic cluster sister to P. americana and to the other Paracoccidioides species. Based on the results we have emended the taxonomy of the dolphin pathogen as Paracoccidioides cetii and P. loboi the one infecting human. Our data warn that phylogenetic analysis of available taxa without the inclusion of unusual members may provide incomplete information for the accurate classification of anomalous species.

DETEKSI DAN IDENTIFIKASI Austropuccinia psidii PADA MYRTACEAE DI YOGYAKARTAINDONESIA

Austropuccinia psidii is a pathogenic fungus that causes rust in the Myrtaceae plant. The extensive plantation of the host of this fungus has increased the attack of fungal pathogen, therefore, will increase the threat tothe presence of Myrtaceae species around the globe including in Indonesia. This present study was aiming to detect and identify the presence of this pathogen by morphologicaland molecular observation. Morphological observationrevealed the presence of A. psidii urediniospores onsalam (Syzygium polyanthum) andkayuputih (Melaleuca cajuputi)leaves collected from the arboretum of the Indonesian Center for Forest Biotechnology and Tree Improvement (CFBTI), and the presence of teliospores on young Syzygium leaves. PCR amplification using specific primers of Ppsi1 / Ppsi6 succeeded in detecting the presence of A. psidii fungi Melaleuca and Syzygium showed by DNA amplicon length around 500bp. Efforts to obtain ITS DNA sequences to compare the molecular characteristics of fungi from two different hosts have been carried out, however, the sequencing electropherogram was unreadable, so the comparison can not be performed. This study reported that A. psidii is currently present in Myrtaceae species in Yogyakarta, therefore precaution efforts should be conducted to avoid economic and ecological impact from this pathogen.

A comparison of anamorphs of some Pachyphlodes species and the type of Chromelosporium: are they congeneric?

There is a question of whether or not the name Chromelosporium competes with the name Pachyphlodes given that both genera exhibit similar conidiogenesis. We address here the question through a comparative study of their anamorphs. The type specimen of C. ochraceum (generic type of Chromelosporium), has been studied and compared to newly collected specimens of two Pachyphlodes species, P. nemoralis and P. citrina (whose identity was confirmed through comparison of ITS DNA sequences) and an unidentified species from the Pachyphlodes–Plicariella lineage. Comparison of the morphology of the Pachyphlodes–Plicariella lineage anamorphs with Chromelosporium ochraceum reveals discriminating characters that may support a generic distinction.

Phylogeny of the Genus Noccaea (Brassicaceae) and a Critical Review of its Generic Circumscription

Noccaea Moench is taxonomically one of the most problematic genera of the Brassicaceae. The radical revision of Thlaspi L. s.l. by Meyer in 1973 (Meyer, 1973) split it into 12 segregate genera, including Noccaea, but subsequent molecular studies suggested that this complex includes at least four unrelated genera (Thlaspi s. str., Mummenhoffia Esmailbegi & Al-Shehbaz, Noccidium F. K. Mey., and Noccaea). Although several taxonomic treatments have since been proposed to sort out the systematic problems of Noccaea, debates are still ongoing. Some authors have argued that all segregates of Thlaspi should be considered as independent but related genera, whereas others recognize them as synonyms of a large and polymorphic Noccaea. In this study, we present the first extensively sampled phylogenetic analysis of tribe Coluteocarpeae (Thlaspi segregates including Noccaea) using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) DNA sequences from 92 of the ca. 130 species (70%) in the tribe (39 studied here for the first time) and plastidic trnL-F regions from 73 species (42 studied here for the first time), representing the full range of morphological variation and geographical distribution. All main clades are discussed in detail, and the taxonomic status of all Thlaspi s.l. segregates is evaluated against recent taxonomic treatments. In particular, the tribal placement of Noccidium is changed to Coluteocarpeae, and the genus Pseudosempervivum (Boiss.) Grossh. is reduced to synonymy of Noccaea. The new name N. mummenhoffiana Özüdoğru & Al-Shehbaz and the new combinations N. aucheri (Boiss.) Özüdoğru & Al-Shehbaz and N. sempervivum (Boiss. & Balansa) Özüdoğru & Al-Shehbaz are proposed.

Paris variabilis (Melanthiaceae), a new species from southwestern China

Paris variabilis, a new species from the Wumengshan Mountains, southwestern China, is described and illustrated. The new species is placed in Paris section Euthyra. The new taxon was determined to be most morphologically similar to P. vietnamensis but differs in its oblong leaf blades with an acute apex, stamens 2–4 × petal number, greenish yellow filaments and an enlarged, purplish red style base. The phylogenetic placement of this species was assessed based on nuclear ribosomal ITS DNA sequences data. The results of morphological and phylogenetic analyses support the status of the taxon as a new species.

A new species of Saxifraga in section Ciliatae subsection Gemmiparae (Saxifragaceae) from Sichuan province, China

Saxifraga viridipetala Z-X. Zhang & Gornall (Saxifragaceae) is described as a new species. Originating from south-western Sichuan province in China, morphological and molecular evidence (based on chloroplast trnL-F and nuclear ITS DNA sequences) indicate that S. viridipetala is closely related to S. gemmipara, in section Ciliatae. The new species can be diagnosed by its narrowly elliptic, pale green petals spotted purple in the proximal 4/5 part.

Floral similarity and vegetative divergence in a new species of Bletia (Orchidaceae) from Mexico

Bletia mixtecana, a new species from Oaxaca, Mexico is described and illustrated. This species is florally similar to B. parkinsonii but differs in its aerial thickened stems (‘pseudobulbs’) and several floral attributes. A phylogenetic analysis of nuclear ribosomal ITS DNA sequences indicates that B. mixtecana and B. parkinsonii are not closely related, suggesting that floral similarity represents either parallelism or shared ancestral (symplesiomorphic) traits. The new species is a strict gypsophile known only from two populations and it qualifies as endangered based on the small number of known populations and individuals, high habitat specificity and the observed loss of plants at one of the two known locations.

Begonia difformis comb. & stat. nov. (Sect. Platycentrum, Begoniaceae), a new species segregated from B. palmata D. Don

Begonia palmata D. Don is one of the most widely distributed and morphologically variable species of Asian Begoniaceae. Examinations of its morphological variation indicate that two of its seven varieties, B. palmata var. difformis and B. palmata var. crassisetulosa, both distributed in the Gaoligong Mountain areas of Yunnan, China are indistinguishable and yet distinct from other varieties. Phylogenetic analyses using ITS DNA sequences further reveals that samples identifiable to these two varieties are also distantly related to samples of typical B. palmata. Based on these observations, we combine and elevate these two varieties to the status of species, Begonia difformis (Irmsch.) W.C. Leong, C.I Peng & K.F Chung, comb. & stat. nov..