Pseudocryphonectria elaeocarpicola gen. et sp. nov. (Cryphonectriaceae, Diaporthales) causing stem blight of Elaeocarpus spp. in China

Abstract

Cryphonectriaceae is a diaporthalean family containing important plant pathogens of which Cryphonectria parasitica is the most notorious one. An emerging stem blight disease on Elaeocarpus apiculatus (Elaeocarpaceae) and E. hainanensis was observed in Guangdong Province of China recently. Typical Cryphonectria blight-like symptoms including cankers on tree barks with obvious orange conidial tendrils were observed. Forty-eight isolates were obtained from diseased tissues and conidiomata formed on the hosts E. apiculatus and E. hainanensis. These isolates were further identified based on both morphology and molecular methods using the combined sequence data of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, large subunit of the nrDNA (LSU), the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) and DNA-directed RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) genes. As a result, the fungus represents an undescribed genus and species within the family Cryphonectriaceae. Hence, Pseudocryphonectria elaeocarpicolagen. et sp. nov. is proposed herein to represent these isolates from diseased barks of E. apiculatus and E. hainanensis. Pseudocryphonectria differs from the other genera of Cryphonectriaceae in having dimorphic conidia. Further inoculation results showed that P. elaeocarpicola is the causal agent of this emerging blight disease in China, which can quickly infect and kill the hosts E. apiculatus and E. hainanensis.

Identification and pathogenicity of Aurifilum species (Cryphonectriaceae, Diaporthales) on Terminalia species in Southern China

“…Prior to this study, six genera, including Aurifilum , Celoporthe , Chrysoporthe , Chrysomorbus , Corticimorbus , Parvosmorbus were reported infecting trees in Combretaceae , Lythraceae , Melastomataceae and Myrtaceae (All Myrtales ) in southern China ( Chen et al 2010 , 2011 , 2016, 2018 ; Wang et al 2020 ). Although the diversity of Cryphonectriaceae in Myrtales has been extensively studied in recent years ( Chen et al 2010 , 2011 , 2013a , b , 2016a , b , 2018 ; Wang et al 2018 , 2020 ; Huang et al 2022 ), there is still a need for further investigation into its diversity, geographical distribution, and host range in China ( Wingfield et al 2015 ).…”

“…Twenty-four genera have been described in the Cryphonectriaceae ( Gryzenhout et al 2009 , 2010 ; Begoude et al 2010 ; Vermeulen et al 2011 , 2013 ; Crous et al 2012 ; Chen et al 2013a , b , 2016, 2018 ; Crane and Burgess 2013 ; Beier et al 2015 ; Ali et al 2018 ; Jiang et al 2018 , 2019 , 2020 ; Ferreira et al 2019 ; Wang et al 2020 ; Huang et al 2022 ). Some of the more well-known genera in this family include Cryphonectria parasitica , which caused chestnut blight, and is one of the best-known tree-killing pathogen ( Fairchild 1913 ; Shear and Stevens 1913 ; Anagnostakis 1987 ; Heiniger and Rigling 1994 ; Gryzenhout et al 2009 ); Chrysoporthe austroafricana causes a canker disease of Eucalyptus , Syzygium and Tibouchina species in Southern and Eastern Africa ( Wingfield et al 1989 ; Gryzenhout et al 2004 ; Roux et al 2005 ; Nakabonge et al 2006 ; Gryzenhout et al 2009 ); Chrysoporthe cubensis causes a canker disease of Eucalyptus species in West Africa and South America, and also causes diseases in Melastomataceae and Myrtaceae trees ( Alfenas et al 1983 ; Gryzenhout et al 2004 , 2009 ; Roux 2010); Chrysoporthe deuterocubensis , causes a canker disease of Eucalyptus species in Africa, Australia, China and Hawaii, and is also reported on native or non-native Melastomataceae and Myrtaceae trees ( Davison and Coates 1991 ;…”

A new genus and species of Cryphonectriaceae causing stem cankers on plantation eucalypts in South Africa

“…The Cryphonectriaceae accommodates approximately 30 genera, including many species that are pathogens causing blight, die back or canker on stems of trees (Gryzenhout et al, 2009;Jiang et al, 2020;Rauf et al, 2019). An emerging group of these fungi, occurring mostly in the tropics and southern hemisphere, occur on woody shrubs and trees in the Myrtales, especially the Melastomataceae and Myrtaceae (Ali et al, 2018;Begoude et al, 2010;Beier et al, 2015;Chen et al, 2016Chen et al, , 2018Crane & Burgess, 2013;Ferreira et al, 2019;Gryzenhout et al, 2009;Huang et al, 2022;Vermeulen et al, 2011). Of these fungi, species in the genus Chrysoporthe, first described to accommodate the Eucalyptus pathogen Cryphonectria cubensis, are best known (Gryzenhout et al, 2004(Gryzenhout et al, , 2009.…”