IMA Fungus 3(1): 45-58, doi: 10.5598/imafungus.2012.03.01.06
Ceratocystis eucalypticola sp. nov. from Eucalyptus in South Africa and comparison to global isolates from this tree
Jolanda Roux‡, Jolanda Roux§, Gilbert Kamgan Nkuekam|, Brenda D. Wingfield¶, Michael J. Wingfield#‡ University of Pretoria, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Pretoria, South Africa§ University of Pretoria, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, FABI, Pretoria, South Africa| University of Pretoria, Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), Pretoria, South Africa¶ University of Pretoria, Department of Genetics and Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), Pretoria, South Africa# University of Pretoria, Department of Genetics, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), Pretoria, South Africa
© Jolanda Roux, Jolanda Roux, Gilbert Nkuekam, Brenda Wingfield, Michael Wingfield. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits to copy and distribute the article for non-commercial purposes, provided that the article is not altered or modified and the original author and source are credited. Citation:
Roux J, Roux J, Nkuekam G, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2012) Ceratocystis eucalypticola sp. nov. from Eucalyptus in South Africa and comparison to global isolates from this tree. IMA Fungus 3(1): 45-58. https://doi.org/10.5598/imafungus.2012.03.01.06 |  |
Abstract
Eucalyptus trees, mostly native to Australia, are widely planted in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere for the production of wood and pulp. Worldwide surveys of diseases on these trees have yielded a large collection of Ceratocystis isolates from dying trees or from wounds on their stems. The aim of this study was to characterise these isolates and to consider their relatedness to each other. Culture appearance, morphological features and a distinctive fruity odour in all cultures were typical of species in the Ceratocystis fimbriata sensu lato (s. lat.) complex. Phylogenetic analyses of sequences for the combined ITS, βt-1 and TEF1-α gene regions revealed a genetically diverse group of isolates residing in a single large clade, that were distinct from all other species in the C. fimbriata s. lat. complex. Based on morphology and phylogenetic inference, the Eucalyptus isolates are recognised as closely related. The South African isolates are described here as a new species, C. eucalypticola.
Keywords
canker stain diseases, Microascales, tree pathogens, wounds