Alternaria brassicifolii sp. nov. Isolated from Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis in Korea.

A new species belonging to the genus Alternaria was isolated from the necrotic leaf spots of Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis in Yuseong district, Daejeon, Korea. It is an occasional isolate, not an etiological agent, which is morphologically similar to A. broccoli-italicae, but differs in conidial size and conidiophore shape. Phylogenetic analysis using the sequence datasets of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rDNA, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd), and plasma membrane ATPase genes showed that it is distantly related to A. broccoli-italicae and closely related to Alternaria species in the section Pseudoalternaria, which belonged to a clade basal to the section Infectoriae. Morphologically, the species is unique because it produces solitary conidia or conidial chains (two units), unlike the four members in the section Pseudoalternaria that produce conidia as short branched chains. It exhibits weak pathogenicity in the host plant. This report includes the description and illustration of A. brassicifolii as a new species.

Prevalence, Characterization, and Mycotoxin Production Ability of Fusarium Species on Korean Adlay (Coix lacrymal-jobi L.) Seeds.

Adlay seed samples were collected from three adlay growing regions (Yeoncheon, Hwasun, and Eumseong region) in Korea during 2012. Among all the samples collected, 400 seeds were tested for fungal occurrence by standard blotter and test tube agar methods and different taxonomic groups of fungal genera were detected. The most predominant fungal genera encountered were Fusarium, Phoma, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Curvularia, Cochliobolus and Leptosphaerulina. Fusarium species accounted for 45.6% of all species found; and, with phylogenetic analysis based on the combined sequences of two protein coding genes (EF-1α and ß-tubulin), 10 Fusarium species were characterized namely, F. incarnatum (11.67%), F. kyushuense (10.33%), F. fujikuroi (8.67%), F. concentricum (6.00%), F. asiaticum (5.67%), F. graminearum (1.67%), F. miscanthi (0.67%), F. polyphialidicum (0.33%), F. armeniacum (0.33%), and F. thapsinum (0.33%). The Fusarium species were then examined for their morphological characteristics to confirm their identity. Morphological observations of the species correlated well with and confirmed their molecular identification. The ability of these isolates to produce the mycotoxins fumonisin (FUM) and zearalenone (ZEN) was tested by the ELISA quantitative analysis method. The result revealed that FUM was produced only by F. fujikuroi and that ZEN was produced by F. asiaticum and F. graminearum.

Occurrence of Leaf Blight on Cosmos Caused by Alternaria cosmosa in Korea.

In 2011, a leaf blight disease was observed on cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) leaves in Nonsan, Korea. The causal pathogen was isolated and identified based on morphological and molecular approaches. Morphological characteristics of the pathogen matched well with the Alternaria cosmosa and also easily distinguishable from Alternaria zinniae reported from cosmos seeds by producing branched beak. Phylogenetically, the pathogen could not be distinguished from A. passiflorae based on the sequence analysis of a combined data set of Alt a1 and gpd genes. However, A. passiflorae was distinguished from the present species by having conidiophores with 4 to 5 conidiogenous loci. The results indicate that the present Alternaria species is A. cosmosa. Pathogenicity tests revealed that the isolate was pathogenic to the leaves of Cosmos bipinnatus. This is the first report of Alternaria blight disease caused by A. cosmosa on cosmos in Korea.

Characterization and Pathogenicity of Alternaria burnsii from Seeds of Cucurbita maxima (Cucurbitaceae) in Bangladesh.

In the course of survey of endophytic fungi from Bangladesh pumpkin seeds in 2011~2012, two strains (CNU111042 and CNU111043) with similar colony characteristics were isolated and characterized by their morphology and by molecular phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer, glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd), and Alternaria allergen a1 (Alt a1) sequences. Phylogenetic analysis of all three sequences and their combined dataset revealed that the fungus formed a subclade within the A. alternata clade, matching A. burnsi and showing differences with its other closely related Alternaria species, such as A. longipes, A. tomato, and A. tomaticola. Long ellipsoid, obclavate or ovoid beakless conidia, shorter and thinner conidial size (16~60 [90] × 6.5~14 [~16] µm) distinguish this fungus from other related species. These isolates showed more transverse septation (2~11) and less longitudinal septation (0~3) than did other related species. Moreover, the isolate did not produce any diffusible pigment on media. Therefore, our results reveal that the newly recorded fungus from a new host, Cucurbita maxima, is Alternaria burnsii Uppal, Patel & Kamat.

A New Record of Penicillium raphiae Isolated from Agricultural Soil of Ulleung Island, Korea.

A fungal isolate EML-NCP01 was recovered from agricultural soil in Ulleung Island, Korea. Phylogenetic analysis of internal transcribed spacer and ß-tubulin genes identified the isolate as the Penicillium species P. raphiae. Morphologically, the EML-NCP01 isolate was identical to the previous description of P. raphiae. The species presented here has not been reported in Korea.

Endophytic fungi from Lycium chinense Mill and characterization of two new Korean records of Colletotrichum.

Chinese boxthorn or matrimony vine (Lycium chinense Mill) is found primarily in southeastern Europe and Asia, including Korea. The dried ripe fruits are commonly used as oriental medicinal purposes. Endophytic fungi were isolated from surface sterilized tissues and fruits of the medicinal plant in 2013 to identify the new or unreported species in Korea. Among 14 isolates, 10 morphospecies were selected for molecular identification with the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all isolates belonged to Ascomycota including the genera Acremonium, Colletotrichum, Cochliobolus, Fusarium, Hypocrea and Nemania. Two Colletotrichum species were identified at the species level, using three genes including internal transcribed spacer (ITS), glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and Actin (ACT) for PCR and molecular data analysis along with morphological observations. The fungal isolates, CNU122031 and CNU122032 were identified as Colletotrichum fructicola and C. brevisporum, respectively. Morphological observations also well supported the molecular identification. C. brevisporum is represented unrecorded species in Korea and C. fructicola is the first record from the host plant.

A Novel Alternaria Species Isolated from Peucedanum japonicum in Korea.

We isolated and examined a new Alternaria sp., which causes leaf spots on Peucedanum japonicum in Korea, by using molecular and morphological methods. Phylogenetic analysis based on a combined internal transcribed spacer region analysis and two protein-coding genes (gpd and Alt a1) demonstrated that the causal fungus was most closely related to A. cinerariae and A. sonchi, and relevant to A. brassicae. However, conidial morphology indicated that it is a novel species within the genus Alternaria, and therefore we have assigned the fungus a new name in this study.

First Record of Alternaria simsimi Causing Leaf Spot on Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) in Korea.

Leaf spot disease was observed in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) during 2009 and 2010 in Korea. The pathogen was identified as Alternaria simsimi based on morphological and cultural characteristics. The morphological identification was well supported by phylogenetic analysis of the ribosomal DNA-internal transcribed spacer region. A. simsimi isolates caused spot symptoms on leaves and stems of sesame plants 2 wk after artificial inoculation, which were similar to those observed in the field. This is the first record of leaf spot disease in Korea caused by A. simsimi.

Characterization and Pathogenicity of Alternaria vanuatuensis, a New Record from Allium Plants in Korea and China.

Alternaria from different Allium plants was characterized by multilocus sequence analysis. Based on sequences of the ß-tubulin (BT2b), the Alternaria allergen a1 (Alt a1), and the RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) genes and phylogenetic data analysis, isolates were divided into two groups. The two groups were identical to representative isolates of A. porri (EGS48-147) and A. vanuatuensis (EGS45-018). The conidial characteristics and pathogenicity of A. vanuatuensis also well supported the molecular characteristics. This is the first record of A. vanuatuensis E. G. Simmons & C. F. Hill from Korea and China.

Two novel Talaromyces species isolated from medicinal crops in Korea.

Two novel biverticillate Talaromyces species, T. angelicus and T. cnidii, were collected from the medicinal crops Angelica gigas and Cnidium officinale, respectively, in Korea. Phylogenetic analyses with the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the ß-tubulin gene as well as morphological analyses revealed that the two species differ from any known Talaromyces species. Talaromyces angelicus is related to T. flavovirens in the phylogeny of the ITS region, but the new species is grouped together with Penicillium liani and T. pinophilus in terms of its ß-tubulin phylogeny, and its growth rate on Czapek yeast autolysate differs from that of T. flavovirens. Talaromyces cnidii is phylogenetically similar to T. siamensis, but exhibits differences in the morphologies of the colony margin, metulae, and conidia.

Penicillium daejeonium sp. nov., a new species isolated from a grape and schisandra fruit in Korea.

Two isolates of monoverticillate Penicillium species were collected from a grape and schisandra fruit in Korea. Multigene phylogenetic analyses with the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and genes encoding ß-tubulin (benA) and calmodulin (cmd), as well as morphological analyses revealed that the two isolates are members of the P. sclerotiorum complex in Penicillium subgenus Aspergilloides, but different from species of the P. sclerotiorum complex. The isolates are closely related to P. cainii, P. jacksonii, and P. viticola in terms of their multigene phylogeny, but their colony and conidiophore morphologies differ from those of closely related species. The name P. daejeonium is proposed for this unclassified new species belonging to the P. sclerotiorum complex in subgenus Aspergilloides.

A New Record of Penicillium cainii from Soil in Korea.

Twenty Penicillium isolates were recovered during the investigation of fungal community in the soil samples collected from Wando (Jeonnam Province, Korea). Among them, one species was identified and described as P. cainii based on phylogentic analysis of internal transcribed spacer and ß-tubulin (BT2) genes and morphological characteristics. This is a first report of P. cainii in Korea.

New Records of Endophytic Paecilomyces inflatus and Bionectria ochroleuca from Chili Pepper Plants in Korea.

Two new species of endophytic fungi were encountered during a diversity study of healthy tissues of chili pepper plants in Korea. The species were identified as Paecilomyces inflatus and Bionectria ochroleuca based on molecular and morphological analyses. Morphological descriptions of these endophytic isolates matched well with their molecular analysis. In the present study, detailed descriptions of internal transcribed spacer regions and morphological observations of these two fungi are presented.

Incidence, Molecular Characteristics and Pathogenicity of Gibberella fujikuroi Species Complex Associated with Rice Seeds from Asian Countries.

Gibberella fujikuroi species complex (GFSC) was isolated from rice (Oryza sativa L.) seed samples from ten Asian countries and investigated for incidence of GFSC, molecular characteristics, and pathogenicity. Regardless of geographic origin, GFSC was detected with incidences ranging from 3% to 80%. Four species, Fusarium fujikuroi, F. concentricum, F. proliferatum, and F. verticillioides, were found to show an association with rice seeds, with F. fujikuroi being the predominant species. In phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences, no relationship was found between species, isolates, and geographic sources of samples. Unidentified fragments of the ß-tubulin gene were observed in ten isolates of F. fujikuroi and F. verticillioides. With the exception of three isolates of F. fujikuroi, F. fujikuroi, F. proliferatum, and F. verticillioides were found to have FUM1 (the fumonisin biosynthetic gene); however, FUM1 was not found in isolates of F. concentricum. Results of pathogenicity testing showed that all isolates caused reduced germination of rice seed. In addition, F. fujikuroi and F. concentricum caused typical symptoms of bakanae, leaf elongation and chlorosis, whereas F. proliferatum and F. verticillioides only caused stunting of seedlings. These findings provide insight into the characteristics of GFSC associated with rice seeds and might be helpful in development of strategies for management of bakanae.

Biocontrol Activity of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CNU114001 against Fungal Plant Diseases.

A total of 62 bacterial isolates were obtained from Gomsohang mud flat, Mohang mud flat, and Jeju Island, Republic of Korea. Among them, the isolate CNU114001 showed significant antagonistic activity against pathogenic fungi by dual culture method. The isolate CNU114001 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens by morphological observation and molecular data analysis, including 16SrDNA and gyraseA (gyrA) gene sequences. Antifungal substances of the isolate were extracted and purified by silica gel column chromatography, thin layer chromatography, and high performance liquid chromatography. The heat and UV ray stable compound was identified as iturin, a lipopeptide (LP). The isolate CNU114001 showed broad spectrum activity against 12 phytopathogenic fungi by dual culture method. The semi purified compound significantly inhibits the mycelial growth of pathogenic fungi (Alternaria panax, Botrytis cinera, Colletotrichum orbiculare, Penicillium digitatum, Pyricularia grisea and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) at 200 ppm concentration. Spore germ tube elongation of Botrytis cinerea was inhibited by culture filtrate of the isolate. Crude antifungal substance showed antagonistic activity against cucumber scleotiorum rot in laboratory, and showed antagonistic activity against tomato gray mold, cucumber, and pumpkin powdery mildew in greenhouse condition.

Thermally tunable-focus lenticular lens using liquid crystal.

A thermally tunable focusing lenticular liquid crystal (LC) lens array was fabricated using a polymer LC component, including a polarizer that produces linearly polarized light. The focal length in the proposed structure could be tuned by temperature-adjusted applied voltage to a transparent heater in a lenticular LC lens cell because it alters the birefringence of the LC and varies the difference in refractive index between the LC and the polymer. The results showed that the focal length of the E7 LC used varied continuously with temperature from 5.6 to 8.7 mm from 25°C to 54°C, respectively. The proposed lenticular LC lens has potential use in photonic devices such as biological imaging, phone cameras, and optical sensors.

Taxonomic Re-evaluation of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Isolated from Strawberry in Korea.

For the past two decades, the causal agent of anthracnose occurring on strawberry in Korea was considered Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. However, the recent molecular analysis has shown that the genus Colletotrichum has undergone many taxonomic changes with introduction of several new species. As a result, it revealed that C. gloeosporioides indeed consisted of more than 20 distinct species. Therefore, the Korean pathogen isolated from strawberry should be reclassified. The shape and size of the conidia of the pathogen were not distinctly different from those of C. gloeosporioides and C. fructicola, but it differed in shape of the appressoria. A combined sequence analysis of partial actin, glycer-aldehydes-3-phosphate dehydrogenase genes, and the internal transcribed spacer regions showed that the strawberry isolates formed a monophyletic group with authentic strains of C. fructicola. On the basis of these results, the anthracnose fungi of the domestic strawberry in Korea were identified as C. fructicola and distinguished from C. gloeosporioides.

Molecular and Morphological Characterization of Endophytic Heterobasidion araucariae from Roots of Capsicum annuum L. in Korea.

A species of Heterobasidion was encountered during a diversity study of endophytic fungi from healthy root tissues of chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in Korea. The fungal species (CNU081069) was identified as Heterobasidion araucariae based on phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer and translation elongation factor gene sequences. Morphological descriptions of the endophytic isolate matched well with the previous references and supported the molecular identification. The fungus Heterobasidion araucariae CNU081069 is new to Korea.

First Report on Isolation of Penicillium adametzioides and Purpureocillium lilacinum from Decayed Fruit of Cheongsoo Grapes in Korea.

Two species, Penicillium adametzioides and Purpureocillium lilacinum, were isolated from decayed grapes (cv. Cheongsoo) in Korea. Each species was initially identified by phylogenetic analysis of a combined dataset of two genes. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and ß-tubulin (BT2) genes were used for identification of Penicillium adametzioides, and ITS and partial translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF) genes were used for identification of Purpureocillium lilacinum. Morphologically, they were found to be identical to previous descriptions. The two species presented here have not been previously reported in Korea.

Molecular Characterization and Morphology of Two Endophytic Peyronellaea Species from Pinus koraiensis in Korea.

Species of Phoma and its allies were isolated during a survey on the diversity of endophytic fungi associated with pine trees in Korea. Based on the phylogenetic analyses of internal transcribed spacer and ß-tubulin gene sequences, two Phoma-like species from the needles of Pinus koraiensis were identified as Peyronellaea calorpreferens and P. glomerata. They were also morphologically identified based on the previous descriptions. Here, we report P. calorpreferens and P. glomerata being present in Korea as endophytic fungi in Pinus koraiensis.