ABSTRACT Rusted root (also known as rusty root) of ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) was first described over 70 years ago, but the causal agent has not been clearly established. The disease is characterized by slightly raised reddish-brown to black root lesions of varying size. The lesions, regardless of size, remain superficial; however, peridermal tissue is ruptured and sloughed off, giving the ...

A unique anamorphic lens design was applied to a circular 780nm femtosecond laser pulse to transform it into an elliptically shaped beam at focus. This lens was developed to give an alternative method of micromachining bulk transparent materials. The challenge for femtosecond laser processing is to control the nonlinear affect of self-focusing, which can occur when using a fast f-number lens. O...

In this paper the taxonomy of some previously reported taxa as Cercospora apii s.lat. in Iran, is discussed and some new records are listed. Cercospora species on Abelia grandiflora (C. deutziae), Erythrina crista-galli (C. erythrinicola), Euphorbia heterophylla (C. pulcherrimae) and Zanthedeschia aethiopica (C. richardiicola) are new for mycobiota of Iran. Cercospora iridis which was previousl...

Among many isolates that resulted from four independent surveys of yeasts associated with plants in Brazil, the USA, Portugal and Taiwan, we have characterized eighteen basidiomycetous strains, two of which were conspecific with the type strain of Rhodotorula acheniorum, whereas the remaining sixteen isolates appeared not to correspond to any previously described species. Microsatellite-PCR fin...

Black sigatoka, caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis (anamorphic stage: Paracercospora fijiensis), was first detected in Brazil in early 1998 in the Benjamin Constant and Tabatinga municipalities in the State of Amazonas, near to where the borders of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru converge. Understanding how cultivars react to the pathogen, and characterizing the genetic variability of iso...

Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) are growing in popularity. However, are they effective? Cordyceps is not studied as systematically for bioactivity as another TCM, Ganoderma. Cordyceps is fascinating per se, especially because of the pathogenic lifestyle on Lepidopteron insects. The combination of the fungus and dead insect has been used as a TCM for centuries. However, the natural fungus ha...