Diplodia pinea (=Sphaeropsis sapinea) is a well-known and economically important latent pathogen of Pinus spp. in many parts of the world. Despite intensive scrutiny, its sexual state has never been observed and the fungus has thus been considered exclusively asexual. It was, therefore, surprising that a recent population genetics study showed high genotypic diversity and random association of ...

Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of Fusarium head blight in cereal crops, produces sexual progeny (ascospore) as an important overwintering and dissemination strategy for completing the disease cycle. This homothallic ascomycetous species does not require a partner for sexual mating; instead, it carries two opposite mating-type (MAT) loci in a single nucleus to control sexual development....

We have assessed the distribution and mating type of chickpea blight (Didymella rabiei (Kov.) v. Arx) from a total 350 272 fields in major (Cicer arietinum L.) growing areas Ethiopia for two consecutive cropping seasons 2017 2018, respectively. The prevalence D. was 20 % year 7% 2018. Severity range 2?9 incidence 10–100 were recorded both only 7–20 assed fields. Field 2018 significantly differe...

The population structure of Ascochyta rabiei (teleomorph: Didymella rabiei ) in Tunisia was estimated among five populations sampled from the main chickpea growing regions using simple sequence repeat markers (SSR) and a mating type ( MAT ) marker. Mating type 2 isolates ( MAT1-2 ) had reduced genetic and genotypic diversity relative to mating type 1 isolates ( MAT1-1 ). This result, coupled wi...

SUMMARY Idiomorphs mat1-1 and mat1-2 from Mycosphaerella fijiensis, the causal agent of black leaf streak disease of banana, were isolated. Degenerate oligos were used to amplify the HMG box of the mat1-2 idiomorph from M. fijiensis, showing homology with the HMG box of Mycosphaerella graminicola. Using a DNA walking strategy, anchored on the DNA lyase gene towards the HMG box, a 9-kb-long regi...

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a fungal plant pathogen and the causal agent of lettuce drop, an economically important disease of California lettuce. The structure of the S. sclerotiorum mating type locus MAT has previously been reported and consists of two idiomorphs that are fused end-to-end as in other homothallics. We investigated the diversity of S. sclerotiorum MAT using a total of 283 isola...

Leptographium procerum and the closely related species Leptographium profanum, are ascomycetes associated with root-infesting beetles on pines and hardwood trees, respectively. Both species occur in North America where they are apparently native. L. procerum has also been found in Europe, China New Zealand, and South Africa where it has most probably been introduced. As is true for many other L...

Gibberella zeae, a self-fertile, haploid filamentous ascomycete, causes serious epidemics of wheat (Triticum aestivum) head blight worldwide and contaminates grain with trichothecene mycotoxins. Anecdotal evidence dating back to the late 19th century indicates that G. zeae ascospores (sexual spores) are a more important inoculum source than are macroconidia (asexual spores), although the fungus...

Entomopathogens and other econutritional fungi belonging to Clavicipitaceae were phylogenetically analyzed on the basis of the 18S rRNA gene and mating-type genes (MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1). The phylogenies of the mating-type genes yielded better resolutions than that of 18S rRNA gene. Entomopathogens (Cordyceps bassiana, Cordyceps brongniartii, Cordyceps militaris, Cordyceps sinclairii, Cordyceps...