Blast from the past: a study of decades-old fungal cultures resolves a long-standing tree disease mystery

Author:

Wingfield Michael J.ORCID,Pham Nam Q.ORCID,Marincowitz SeonjuORCID,Duong Tuan A.ORCID,Wingfield Brenda D.ORCID,Wilson Andi M.ORCID

Abstract

AbstractA root disease in plantations of Pinus radiata and Pinus pinaster, where trees died in distinct patches, was present in the Western Cape province of South Africa during the 1970s and 1980s. Phytophthora cinnamomi was initially believed to be the cause, but the disease was later ascribed to the insect-associated fungus Leptographium serpens, a fungal species residing in the Ophiostomatales. Doubt regarding the cause of the disease was raised in a later study due to the fact that most Leptographium spp., particularly those that colonise ray parenchyma tissues, which is the case for L. serpens, are not typically primary disease agents. In this study, cultures of an unidentified sterile fungus collected from the dying trees were revived and identified using DNA sequencing methods, which were not available when the disease was first studied. These cultures were identified as the pyrophillic pathogen Rhizina undulata, well-known to cause patch death of conifers in South Africa and elsewhere in the world. While the patches of dying trees no longer exist and the disease cannot be newly studied, it is most likely that the tree death originally thought to be caused by L. serpens was due primarily to R. undulata. The study provides a vivid example of the value of preserving cultures of fungi for later study and the power of modern techniques to identify fungal pathogens.

Funder

University of Pretoria

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Subject

Plant Science

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3