Draft Genome Resource for Forest Pathogen Coniferiporia weirii - A Facultative Pathogen of Thuja plicata and Callitropsis nootkatensis.

In North America, Coniferiporia weirii causes root and butt rot of western redcedar (Thuja plicata) and yellow-cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis). There is currently no draft genome for C. weirii. As a result, C. weirii isolate 30910 originally isolated from a Thuja plicata in Idaho, U.S.A., was sequenced using an Illumina HiSeq 3000 sequencing system. The genome was assembled into 24,918 scaffolds with a scaffold N50 length of 53,821 bp. The total size of the genome was estimated to be 42.2 Mb. This included 96% and 95% recovery of basidiomycete complete and single-copy BUSCO genes, respectively. A total of 3.2% of the assessed BUSCO genes were missing and were not recovered. The assembly contained 10,351 predicted protein-coding genes. The estimated mean gene length of the predicted genes was 1,911 bp. While much is known about the biology of this fungus, little is known about its genome. This draft genome provides a baseline resource that will help further understand the population structure, reproductive mode, and evolutionary history of this important forest pathogen.

Fungi associated with galleries of the emerald ash borer.

The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an exotic forest pest that has killed millions of ash trees in the United States and Canada, resulting in an ecological disaster and billions of dollars in economic losses of urban landscape and forest trees. The beetle was first detected in Michigan in 2002 and has spread through much of the Eastern and Midwestern U.S., reaching Minnesota in 2009. Since then, it has spread across the state and poses a great risk to the more than 1 billion ash trees in Minnesota. The larval stage of EAB creates wounds on trees as they feed on the inner bark, causing disruption of water and sap flow that results in tree death. The fungal community associated with EAB larval galleries is poorly understood and the role these fungi may play in tree death is not known. This study describes fungi isolated from EAB larval galleries sampled throughout the main geographic areas of Minnesota where ash is affected by EAB. Fungal cultures were identified by extracting genomic DNA and sequencing the ITS region of the rDNA. Results from 1126 isolates reveal a diverse assemblage of fungi and three functional guilds comprised of canker pathogens, wood decay, and entomopathogenic fungi. The most common canker-associated genera were Cytospora followed by Phaeoacremonium, Paraconiothyrium, Coniothyrium, Nectria, Diplodia, and Botryosphaeria. Fungi in the Basidiomycota were nearly all wood decay causing fungi and many were species of pioneer colonizing genera including Sistotrema, Irpex, Peniophora, Phlebia and Ganoderma. Some of these fungi seriously affect urban trees, having the potential to cause rapid wood decay resulting in hazardous tree situations. Several entomopathogenic genera with the potential for biological control of EAB were also isolated from galleries. Purpureocillium was the most commonly isolated genus, followed by Beauveria, Clonostachys, Lecanicillium, Akanthomyces, Cordyceps, Microcera, Tolypocladium, and Pochonia. The results identify important fungal functional guilds that are occupying a new niche in ash trees resulting from EAB and include fungi that may accelerate decline in tree health, increase hazard tree situations, or may provide options for biological control of this destructive invasive insect.

Sex attractant for the banana moth, Opogona sacchari Bojer (Lepidoptera: Tineidae): provisional identification and field evaluation.

BACKGROUND: The banana moth, Opogona sacchari Bojer, is a polyphagous agricultural pest in many tropical areas of the world. The identification of an attractant for male O. sacchari could offer new methods for detection, study and control. RESULTS: A compound extracted from female O. sacchari elicited responses from antennae of male moths. This compound was identified as a 2/3,(Z)13-octadecadienal by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. An analog, 2/3,(Z)13-octadecadienol, was also detected in some extracts at roughly a 1:20 ratio (alcohol:aldehyde) but did not elicit responses from antennae of male moths. Electroantennograms of synthetic candidate dienals found the strongest responses from (Z, Z)-2,13-octadecadienal and (E, Z)-2,13-octadecadienal. In field trials, (E, Z)-2,13-octadecadienal attracted more male O. sacchari than (Z, Z)-2,13-octadecadienal. Attraction was not improved for either of these compounds when the corresponding stereoisomeric alcohol was added at ratios of 1:1, 1:10 or 1:100 (alcohol:aldehyde). Jackson sticky traps containing 250 microg lures of (E, Z)-2,13-octadecadienal caught as many males as did traps holding virgin females. CONCLUSION: (E, Z)-2,13-octadecadienal has been identified as an attractant for O. sacchari males and can be used as a monitoring lure of populations of this moth.