Search

Twenty four species of Bird's nest fungi belonging to four genera, namely Crucibulum, Cyathus, Nidula and Sphaerobolus have been reported from India with most of the reports were from Northeastern states in the Eastern Himalaya region that is well recognized for its rich biodiversity. Among these genera, Cyathus is the largest genus with 61 species documented so far in the world including 17 species from India. So far, only Cyathus poeppigii has been reported from the Eastern Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh. In the present paper, another newly recorded species Cyathus striatus, is reported with its detail taxonomic characteristics. It produces comparatively smaller basidiocarps than the earlier reported collection from Darjeeling (West Bengal). Further, the basidiospores are thin walled but comparatively larger in size. The paper also lists all Bird's nest fungi from India with detailed information.

Lignin plays an important role in plant growth and development. It serves as a raw material for the manufacture of paper, animal feed, and chemical fertilizers. However, the regulation of lignin biosynthesis genes and the composition of the relevant gene families remain unclear in many plant species. Here, we identified and characterized 11 families of monolignol biosynthesis genes in Salix matsudana Koidz. Based on phylogenetic analysis of lignin biosynthesis genes from nine angiosperm species (Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Zea mays, Solanum lycopersicum, S. suchowensis, S. purpurea, Populus euphratica, P. trichocarpa, and S. matsudana), the 11 gene families could be divided into two classes that differed in their apparent evolutionary history. We compared the distribution of lignin biosynthesis genes between the two sub-genomes (At and Bt) of S. matsudana and found that more duplicated genes were present in the Bt sub-genome. We analyzed RNA sequencing data from two parents of contrasting height and two of their F1 progeny, and detected 23 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that may regulate accelerated growth. We analyzed the promoter regions of the lignin-related DEGs and identified several hormone-related (auxin, ethylene, and cytokinin) transcription factor binding sites. These results provide an important foundation for future studies on the molecular mechanisms and genetic regulation of lignin biosynthesis and its relationship to accelerated growth in forest trees.

A review and updated checklist of Corynespora (Dematiaceous hyphomycetes) diversity and distribution reported from all over the world is prepared and presented over here based on available bibliographic survey upon published data. After critical review and verification, a total of 207 taxonomic records of Corynespora has been found in Index Fungorum, among them 179 spp. (86.47%) have been found as nomenclaurally valid/accepted taxa, while 14 spp. (6.76%) found to be transferred to other different taxa, 11 spp. (5.31%) synonymously transferred to other Corynespora taxa, and 3 spp. (1.44%) found as invalid taxa. In all word-wide recorded Corynespora species, 114 spp. (55.07%) have been found as foliicolous, 90 spp. (43.47%) as lignicolous, 2 spp. (0.96%) as lichenicolous, and 1 sp. (0.48%) from the air. Similarly, 184 spp. (88.88%) have been reported on Angiosperms, 1 sp. (0.48%) on Gymnosperms, 22 spp. (10.62%) recorded on unidentified plant parts/taxa, whereas no one species recorded on Bryophytes and Pteridophytes. Likewise, 166 spp. (80.19%) have been recorded on 54 families of Dicot, 18 spp. (8.69%) on 6 families of monocot, 1 sp. (0.48%) on 1 family of Gymnosperm, and 22 spp. (10.62%) on unidentified plant parts/taxa. Furthermore, the distribution of Corynespora spp. have been recorded from 34 countries, in which the species richness recorded maximum in India (80 spp., 38.64%) followed by China (31 spp., 14.97%), USA (11 spp., 5.31%), and other countries. Besides, distinguishing features of valid Corynespora spp. are also provided along with their hosts/substrate, host'family, distribution (country), and references. This paper provides an updated checklist of Corynespora spp. reported from all over the world with their current status in the context of current nomenclature. In order to get all collected scientific information at one shop for further scientific study on exploration of Corynespora, this compiled up-to-date checklist with their comparative morphology would be vital and helpful to the researchers of concern fields as well as allied disciplines.