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The genetic diversity of Valsa sordida isolates from different geographical regions and hosts was investigated using MP-PCR markers. PCR amplifications were done using eight primers. Of them, only four primers [(ATC)7, (ACTG)4, (CGA)5, and (AAC)8] produced polymorphic bands. At least 88.5% polymorphism was revealed by four primers and the maximum polymorphism (97%) was generated by (ACTG)4 primer and three diagnosable groups (1, 2 and 3) were resolved in the resulting dendrogram constructed by the UPGMA algorithm. The results showed high polymorphism among the isolates and confirmed the merit and accuracy of the MP-PCR markers for studying the genetic variability of V. sordida isolates at the intra-species level. We have not found any correlations between observed genetic diversity and the geographical region or host plant of the isolates, unless in limited cases. The abundant formation of the sexual state of the fungus in the infected parts of trees, as well as possible asexual recombination during asexual reproduction, are suggested as influencing factors of high genetic variability among the individuals.

This article is the 13th contribution in the Fungal Diversity Notes series, wherein 125 taxa from four phyla, ten classes, 31 orders, 69 families, 92 genera and three genera incertae sedis are treated, demonstrating worldwide and geographic distribution. Fungal taxa described and illustrated in the present study include three new genera, 69 new species, one new combination, one reference specimen and 51 new records on new hosts and new geographical distributions. Three new genera, Cylindrotorula (Torulaceae), Scolecoleotia (Leotiales genus incertae sedis) and Xenovaginatispora (Lindomycetaceae) are introduced based on distinct phylogenetic lineages and unique morphologies. Newly described species are Aspergillus lannaensis, Cercophora dulciaquae, Cladophialophora aquatica, Coprinellus punjabensis, Cortinarius alutarius, C. mammillatus, C. quercoflocculosus, Coryneum fagi, Cruentomycena uttarakhandina, Cryptocoryneum rosae, Cyathus uniperidiolus, Cylindrotorula indica, Diaporthe chamaeropicola, Didymella azollae, Diplodia alanphillipsii, Dothiora coronicola, Efibula rodriguezarmasiae, Erysiphe salicicola, Fusarium queenslandicum, Geastrum gorgonicum, G. hansagiense, Helicosporium sexualis, Helminthosporium chiangraiensis, Hongkongmyces kokensis, Hydrophilomyces hydraenae, Hygrocybe boertmannii, Hyphoderma australosetigerum, Hyphodontia yunnanensis, Khaleijomyces umikazeana, Laboulbenia divisa, Laboulbenia triarthronis, Laccaria populina, Lactarius pallidozonarius, Lepidosphaeria strobelii, Longipedicellata megafusiformis, Lophiotrema lincangensis, Marasmius benghalensis, M. jinfoshanensis, M. subtropicus, Mariannaea camelliae, Melanographium smilaxii, Microbotryum polycnemoides, Mimeomyces digitatus, Minutisphaera thailandensis, Mortierella solitaria, Mucor harpali, Nigrograna jinghongensis, Odontia huanrenensis, O. parvispina, Paraconiothyrium ajrekarii, Parafuscosporella niloticus, Phaeocytostroma yomensis, Phaeoisaria synnematicus, Phanerochaete hainanensis, Pleopunctum thailandicum, Pleurotheciella dimorphospora, Pseudochaetosphaeronema chiangraiense, Pseudodactylaria albicolonia, Rhexoacrodictys nigrospora, Russula paravioleipes, Scolecoleotia eriocamporesi, Seriascoma honghense, Synandromyces makranczyi, Thyridaria aureobrunnea, Torula lancangjiangensis, Tubeufia longihelicospora, Wicklowia fusiformispora, Xenovaginatispora phichaiensis and Xylaria apiospora. One new combination, Pseudobactrodesmium stilboideus is proposed. A reference specimen of Comoclathris permunda is designated. New host or distribution records are provided for Acrocalymma fici, Aliquandostipite khaoyaiensis, Camarosporidiella laburni, Canalisporium caribense, Chaetoscutula juniperi, Chlorophyllum demangei, C. globosum, C. hortense, Cladophialophora abundans, Dendryphion hydei, Diaporthe foeniculina, D. pseudophoenicicola, D. pyracanthae, Dictyosporium pandanicola, Dyfrolomyces distoseptatus, Ernakulamia tanakae, Eutypa flavovirens, E. lata, Favolus septatus, Fusarium atrovinosum, F. clavum, Helicosporium luteosporum, Hermatomyces nabanheensis, Hermatomyces sphaericoides, Longipedicellata aquatica, Lophiostoma caudata, L. clematidis-vitalbae, Lophiotrema hydei, L. neoarundinaria, Marasmiellus palmivorus, Megacapitula villosa, Micropsalliota globocystis, M. gracilis, Montagnula thailandica, Neohelicosporium irregulare, N. parisporum, Paradictyoarthrinium diffractum, Phaeoisaria aquatica, Poaceascoma taiwanense, Saproamanita manicata, Spegazzinia camelliae, Submersispora variabilis, Thyronectria caudata, T. mackenziei, Tubeufia chiangmaiensis, T. roseohelicospora, Vaginatispora nypae, Wicklowia submersa, Xanthagaricus necopinatus and Xylaria haemorrhoidalis. The data presented herein are based on morphological examination of fresh specimens, coupled with analysis of phylogenetic sequence data to better integrate taxa into appropriate taxonomic ranks and infer their evolutionary relationships.

Fusarium species, are opportunistic human pathogens that remarkably cause fungal infections ranging from superficial to fatal invasive disseminated infections. Fusarium species are notoriously resistant to the majority of antifungal agents.Therefore, detailed studies regarding in vitro susceptibility are required and may lead to a better prognosis of severe infections.We evaluated 25 antifungal drugs in vitro against 282 clinical and environmental Fusarium isolates.Fusarium species demonstrated high MICs/MECs values to the most commonly used antifungal drugs in clinical practice. The geometric mean (GM) MICs for luliconazole (0.004 μg/ml) and lanoconazole (0.012 μg/ml) were the lowest, followed by efinaconazole (0.98 μg/ml) and amphotericin B (1.04 μg/ml).Efinaconazole, a novel triazole, may be a promising candidate for the treatment of superficial Fusarium infections. Furthermore, the development of systemic formulations of these drugs as well as further in vitro and in vivo investigations could aid in the treatment of systemic fusariosis.

Fungal protoplast fusion is an approach to introduce novel characteristics into industrially important strains. Cellulases, essential enzymes with a wide range of biotechnological applications, are produced by many species of the filamentous fungi Trichoderma. In this study, a collection of 60 natural isolates were screened for Avicel and carboxymethyl cellulose degradation, and two cellulase producers of Trichoderma virens and Trichoderma harzianum were used for protoplast fusion. One of the resulting hybrids with improved cellulase activity, C1-3, was fused with the hyperproducer Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30. A new selected hybrid, F7, was increased in cellulase activity 1.8 and 5 times in comparison with Rut-C30 and C1-3, respectively. The increases in enzyme activity correlated with an upregulation of the cellulolytic genes cbh1, cbh2, egl3, and bgl1 in the parents. The amount of mRNA of cbh1 and cbh2 in F7 resembled that of Rut-C30 while the bgl1 mRNA level was similar to that of C1-3. AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) fingerprinting and GC–MS (gas chromatography – mass spectrometry) analysis represented variations in parental strains and fusants. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that a 3-interspecific hybrid strain was isolated, with improved characteristics for cellulase degradation and showing genetic polymorphisms and differences in the volatile profile, suggesting reorganizations at the genetic level.

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a destructive fungal pathogen with an extensive host range infecting more than 400 plant species, causes lettuce drop on the leafy green lettuce that potentially have an enormous economic impact on lettuce cultivation worldwide. To gain insights into how lettuce regulates its defense pathways, gene expression profiles of five defense-related genes (LsPRB1, LsSOD, LsERF1, LsLTC1, and LsHPL1) triggered following infection of susceptible Mazandaran line 1 (ML1) and tolerant Jahrom (Jah) lettuce accessions by the S. sclerotiorum were compared by the real-time quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) approach. In the current study, we observed temporal and quantitative gene expression fluctuations between two examined accessions of L. sativa in response to S. sclerotiorum attack. All genes, except LsHPL1, were up-regulated earlier (24 hours after inoculation) in the Jah accession compared with the susceptible one. This data implies strong defense responses established in the tolerant accession to arrest the fungal growth, but it resulted in restricting lesion development rather than in preventing infection. This research contributes to a better understanding of the kinetics of lettuce reactions induced following S. sclerotiorum infection and may be employed to develop effective strategies to manage lettuce drop.

In a survey of pyricularia-like fungi on different plants, especially on sedges in the north of Iran, we identified two typical isolates characteristics of the genus Pseudopyricularia. Phylogeny analysis based on DNA sequences of internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS-rDNA), the largest subunit of the RNA polymerase II (RPB1), calmodulin (CAL), and large subunit of the ribosomal RNA (LSU) gene regions, and morphological criteria confirmed the new species of Pseudopyricularia. Pseudopyricularia hedjaroudii sp. nov., isolated from the leaves of Cyperus sp., is described and illustrated. Conidia of the Ps. hedjaroudii are obclavate, obpyriform, and 1-septate distinct from other allied species in size and shape.

International audience; Blast disease is a notorious fungal disease leading to dramatic yield losses on major food crops such as rice and wheat. The causal agent, Pyricularia oryzae, encompasses different lineages, each having a different host range. Host shifts are suspected to have occurred in this species from Setaria spp. to rice and from Lolium spp. to wheat. The emergence of blast disease on maize in Iran was observed for the first time in the north of the country in 2012. We later identified blast disease in two additional regions of Iran: Gilan in 2013 and Golestan in 2016. Epidemics on the weed barnyard grass (Echinochloa spp.) were also observed in the same maize fields. Here, we showed that P. oryzae is the causal agent of this disease on both hosts. Pathogenicity assays in the greenhouse revealed that strains from maize can infect barnyard grass and conversely. However, genotyping with simple sequence repeat markers and comparative genomics showed that strains causing field epidemics on maize and on barnyard grass are different, although they belong to the same previously undescribed clade of P. oryzae. Phylogenetic analyses including these strains and a maize strain collected in Gabon in 1985 revealed two independent host-range expansion events from barnyard grass to maize. Comparative genomics between maize and barnyard grass strains revealed the presence or absence of five candidate genes associated with host specificity on maize, with the deletion of a small genomic region possibly responsible for adaptation to maize. This recent emergence of P. oryzae on maize provides a case study to understand host range expansion. Epidemics on maize raise concerns about potential yield losses on this crop in Iran and potential geographic expansion of the disease.

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is one of the most destructive lettuce diseases, restricting lettuce cultivation globally. Here, we measured the activity of three antioxidant enzymes in two contrastingly ...

Low temperature (LT) and Ascochyta blight are two major stresses in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivation. After exposure to LT treatments (acclimation, LT, acclimation + LT and control conditions), we evaluated induced responses by pathogen infection in LT-sensitive (ILC533) and -tolerant (Sel96Th11439) chickpea genotypes. In relation to genotype-specific defense reactions, tolerant plants responded more effective to the infection compared to sensitive plants, particularly after an acclimation treatment. LT treatments, and in particular an acclimation treatment, induced a significant decrease in disease symptoms 7 and 14 days after inoculation. Histopathological studies showed more infection throughout the cells of the sensitive genotype under control conditions. The minimal spread of the pathogen was observed in the tolerant genotype after acclimation treatment, and the infected plants did not contain pycnidia or hyphae of the pathogen. The electrolyte leakage index (ELI) and amount of malondialdehyde (MDA) after LT treatments were less than the values compared to post pathogen infection, indicating a difference in the degree of oxidative stress. Lower levels of pathogen-induced oxidative stress (ELI and MDA) and better photosynthetic efficiency (measured as Fv/Fm values) show that the tolerant genotype exposed to LT treatments acclimate better to the stress conditions compared to the sensitive genotype. Higher transcript levels for the superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase were detected during pathogen infection, particularly during the acclimation treatment, which might confirm lower oxidative stress in tolerant plants compared to sensitive plants. It is concluded that LT increased the capacity for tolerance to Ascochyta blight in chickpea plants and this was correlated with the stimulation of mechanisms involved in defense responses.

There are five described Rhynchosporium species, Rhynchosporium commune, R. secalis, R. agropyri, R. orthosporum and R. lolii, that cause scald diseases on Poaceae. This study used morphological (conidial shape and size) and phylogenetic analyses of two loci (the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and β-tubulin (TUBB)) to identify Rhynchosporium species and their host ranges in Iran. Despite the large variation observed for Rhynchosporium conidial dimensions, the phylogenetic analyses of the ITS region and concatenated ITS and TUBB loci revealed that all isolates from wild grasses in Iran belong to R. commune. R. commune was isolated from Hordeum murinum ssp. glaucum, Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum, Lolium multiflorum and Avena sativa in Iran. A. sativa has only been reported from Iran as a host for R. commune. After cross inoculation, A. sativa was considered as the most resistant host showing the lowest susceptibility to R. commune isolates. Of the grass hosts tested, H. vulgare ssp. spontaneum was the most susceptible. The most aggressive isolate across all tested hosts was isolated from Hordeum murinum ssp. glaucum. Cross-infection of the R. commune isolates from all hosts onto uncultivated grasses and cultivated barley suggests the potential of the uncultivated grasses as inoculum sources for cultivated barley epidemics and pathogen evolution. Thus, management of uncultivated grasses in the vicinity of barley fields should assist in managing the disease on cultivated barley.

Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, causal agent of bean anthracnose is one of the most destructive fungal bean diseases that potentially have an enormous economic impact on bean cultivation worldwide. To obtain novel insights into how bean regulates its defense pathways to react efficiently against this invading pathogen, cvs Khomein and Naz representing contrasting interactions were investigated by histochemical and real-time quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) approaches. Our histochemical analysis conducted at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h post inoculation (hpi) demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) may have a bifunctional role in establishing the incompatibility and compatibility. This free radical (H2O2) can, therefore, be elevated at an early stage (24 hpi) of the incompatible context to arrest fungal growth, whereas H2O2 was promoted at the late stage (72 hpi) of the compatible context to facilitate the infection process. Additionally, we demonstrated that O2− probably plays an essential function in launching the resistance response since O2− increased significantly at 36 hpi in incompatible interaction compared with that of the compatible interface. Our expression analysis showed that the expression of six defense-related genes are differentially regulated regarding the types of interactions, shedding light on how the beans adaptively regulate defense pathways. This study contributes to a better understanding of the kinetics of reactions triggered following C. lindemuthianum infection and may be applied to develop novel strategies to manage bean anthracnose effectively.

The main purposes of this study were to examine the effects of protoplast fusion on chitinase production, antifungal activity and major antifungal compounds in parental strains and fusants and to i...

In the continuation of studies on Alternaria species from wheat plants with black head mold symptoms, 10 isolates with typical characteristics of the section Pseudoalternaria were isolated and studied by a combined approach based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses using sequence data sets of the internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA (ITS-rDNA), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and plasma membrane adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) genes. These isolates represented a new and previously undescribed species in this section which is illustrated and described here as Alternaria ershadii sp. nov. Also based on our phylogenetic analyses, it was revealed that Alternaria brassicifolii, which was recently described from Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis in Korea and placed in this section, formed a well separated monotypic lineage distinct from the other members in the section Pseudoalternaria. Comparisons of three-dimensional sporulation patterns and conidial characteristics supported the molecular results. So, at present, Alternaria section Pseudoalternaria contains only seven species viz. Alternaria altcampina, A. arrhenatheri, A. ershadii, A. inflata, A. kordkuyana, A. parvicaespitosa and A. rosae. Morphological comparisons of Alternaria ershadii with other species in the section Pseudoalternaria and with Alternaria brassicifolii is also provided.

During a survey of sedge plants in northern Iran, three specimens of Pseudopyricularia cyperi were isolated from Cyperus sp. Their taxonomical identity was established by their spore and conidiophore morphology and ITS rDNA sequence analysis. The specimens are described and illustrated. Pseudopyricularia cyperi is a new record for Iran.

The objectives of the present study were to identify composition of fungal communities associated with healthy and declined oak trees and seedlings in Ilam Province, Iran, and to evaluate their role in occurrence of the oak decline. Fungal isolates were obtained from branches of healthy and declining Persian oak trees and seedlings in Ilam province during summer and autumn 2014–2015. Fungal species were identified according to both morphological and molecular characteristics obtained from ITS, 28S and 18S regions of ribosomal DNA. Some fungal species such as Neoscytalidium dimidiatum and Obolarina persica were obtained only from branches of Persian oak trees with decline symptoms. The Acremonium sp., Coniochaeta sp., Cytospora ribis, Fusarium tricinctum, Microsphaeriopsis olivacea and Neoetophoma samarorum species were found only in healthy trees as endophytic species. While, B. mediterrana, Didymella glomerata, Fusarium solani and Tricothecium roseum were isolated from both healthy and declined trees. The F. tricinctum and T. roseum species were found in healthy seedlings. However, D. glomerata was isolated from both healthy and dried seedlings. The species B. mediterrana, D. glomerata, N. dimidiatum and O. persica showed pathogenicity on the Persian oak seedlings in the greenhouse conditions. Finally, it could be concluded that for the first time two species, D. glomerata and N. dimidiatum, were recorded as pathogens associated with Persian oak. In addition, Acremonium sp., Coniochaeta sp., C. ribis, F. solani, F. tricinctum, N. samarorum and T. roseum were recorded for the first time as endophytic fungi on Persian oak trees.

The population structure and genetic diversity of Pyrenophora tritici-repentis from hexaploid wheat were examined using 51 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers designed to represent each chromosome...

Fusarium verticillioides is one of the most important fungal pathogens of maize since it causes severe yield losses and produces the mycotoxins fumonisins that represent a major concern for human and animal health. Information about genetic diversity and population structure of fungal pathogens is essential for developing disease management strategies. The aim of this research was to investigate the genetic structure of F. verticillioides isolated from different provinces of Iran through determination of mating type idiomorphs, phylogenetic analyses based on translation elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1α), RNA Polymerase II Subunit (RPB2), beta-tubulin (tub2) and Calmodulin (cmdA) genes and genetic diversity analyses based on 6 simple-sequence repeats (SSRs). Both mating types were detected in Iranian populations of F. verticillioides, particularly in Qazvin and Khuzestan, with equal frequency, which highlighted that sexual reproduction is favorable under field conditions. However, the linkage disequilibrium indices did not support the hypothesis of random mating in Khuzestan and Fars. Although assessment of nucleotide diversity based on housekeeping genes showed low level of variation among strains, genotype diversity based on SSRs revealed a high level of genetic diversity within Iranian populations. AMOVA analysis highlighted that the genetic variation of F. verticillioides in Iran was mainly distributed within population of a single area (97%), while a small proportion of genetic variation (3%) resided among populations. These patterns of variation are likely explained by the continuous gene flow among populations isolated from different areas. On the other hand, principal coordinate analysis indicated that the distribution of genetic variation among populations could be explained by the geographical distances. Consequently, to reduce pathogen gene flow among regions, the quarantine processes in Iran should be intensified.

Fungal protoplast fusion is an approach to introduce novel characteristics into industrially important strains. Cellulases, essential enzymes with a wide range of biotechnological applications, are produced by many species of the filamentous fungi

Blast disease is a notorious fungal disease leading to dramatic yield losses on major food crops such as rice and wheat. The causal agent

The center of origin of the globally distributed wheat pathogenParastagnospora nodorumhas remained uncertain because only a small number of isolates from the Fertile Crescent, a region in the Middle East where wheat was domesticated from wild grasses, were included in earlier population genetic and phylogeographic studies. We isolated and genetically analyzed 193P. nodorumstrains from three naturally infected wheat fields distributed across Iran, a country located within the Fertile Crescent, using eleven neutral microsatellite loci. Compared to previous studies that included populations from North America, Europe, Africa, Australia and China, the populations from Iran had the highest genetic diversity globally and also exhibited greater population structure over smaller spatial scales, patterns typically associated with a species’ center of origin. Genes encoding the necrotrophic effectorsSnToxA, SnTox1andSnTox3were found at a high frequency in the Iranian population. By sequencing 96 randomly chosen Iranian strains, we detected new alleles for all three effector genes. Analyses of allele diversity showed that all three effector genes had higher diversity in Iran than in any population included in previous studies, with Iran acting as a hub for the effector diversity that was found in other global populations. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis thatP. nodorumoriginated either within or nearby the Fertile Crescent with a genome that already encoded all three necrotrophic effectors during its emergence as a pathogen on wheat. Our findings also suggest thatP. nodorumwas the original source of theToxAgenes discovered in the wheat pathogensPhaeosphaeria avenariaf. sp.tritici1,Pyrenophora tritici-repentisandBipolaris sorokiniana.

A high affinity and selectivity DNA aptamer for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was designed through Genetic Algorithm (GA) based in silico maturation (ISM) strategy. The sequence of a known AFB1 aptamer (Patent: PCT/CA2010/001292, Apt1) applied as a probe in many aptasensors was modified using seven GA rounds to generate an initial library and three different generations of ss DNA oligonucleotides as new candidate aptamers. Molecular docking methodology was used to screen and analyze the best aptamer-AFB1 complexes. Also, a new pipeline was proposed to faithfully predict the tertiary structure of all single stranded DNA sequences. By the second generation, aptamer Apt1 sequence was optimized in the local search space and five aptamers including F20, g12, C52, C32 and H1 were identified as the best aptamers for AFB1. The selected aptamers were applied as probes in an unmodified gold nanoparticles-based aptasensor to evaluate their binding affinity to AFB1 and their selectivity against other mycotoxins (aflatoxins B2, G1, G2, M1, ochratoxin A and zearalenone). In addition, a novel direct fluorescent anisotropy aptamer assay was developed to confirm the binding interaction of the selected aptamers over AFB1. The ISM allowed the identification of an aptamer, F20, with up to 9.4 and 2 fold improvement in affinity and selectivity compared to the parent aptamer, respectively.

Some Stemphylium isolates reported from Malaysia as well as other regions of the world have been identified by morphology and blast analysis of the ITS region only, and eventually deposited in NCBI GenBank. To our knowledge, some of these isolates have been misidentified. The re-examination of identity of all Stemphylium isolates reported from Malaysia using morphological and phylogenetic analyses of the ITS and gpd, as well as phylogenetic analyses of all isolates of S. lycopersici and S. solani available in NCBI GenBank from other regions of the world indicated that a remarkable number of isolates deposited in NCBI GenBank under S. lycopersici and S. solani species were misidentified.

Due to the difficulties in monoclonal antibody production specific to mycotoxins, aptameric probes have been considered as suitable alternatives. The low efficiency of the SELEX procedure in screening high affinity aptamers for binding mycotoxins as small molecules can be significantly improved through computational techniques. Previously, we designed five new aptamers to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) based on a known aptamer sequence (Patent: PCT/ CA2010 / 001 292, Apt1) through a genetic algorithm-based in silico maturation strategy and experimentally measured their affinity to the target toxin. Here, integrated molecular dynamic simulation (MDs) studies with molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) analysis to clarify the binding modes, critical interacting nucleic bases and energy component contributions in the six AFB1-binding aptamers. The aptamer F20, which was selected in the first work, showed the best free binding energy and complex stability compared to other aptamers. The trajectory analysis revealed that AFB1 recognized F20 through the groove binding mode along with precise shape complementarity. The MD simulation results revealed that dynamic water intermediate interactions also play a key role in promoting complex stability. According to the MM-PBSA calculations, Van der Waals contacts were identified as dominant energy components in all complexes. Interestingly, a high consistency is observed between the experimentally obtained binding affinities of the six aptamers with their free energy solvation. The computational findings, confirmed via previous experiments, highlighted the binding modes, the dynamic hydration of complex components and the total free interacting energy as the crucial criteria in discovering high functional aptameric probes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

During the spring and summer of 2014 and 2015, wheat and barley fields in the Iranian provinces of Golestan and Alborz showed a high incidence of symptoms of black (sooty) head mold of wheat and barley. The isolation results revealed that Alternaria was associated with these symptoms. One hundred and forty isolates were collected and morphologically characterized based on the development of conidial chains with primary, secondary, and tertiary branching patterns, consistent with the three-dimensional sporulation complexity of members of Alternaria in sections Infectoriae and Pseudoalternaria. Subsequently, 16 Alternaria isolates exhibiting high morphological diversity were characterized based on extensive morphological and molecular comparisons. Phylogenetic analyses of three loci [ITS, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd), and plasma membrane ATPase (ATPase)] revealed that 15 isolates belonged to section Infectoriae but could not be assigned to phylogenetic species and one isolate represents a new species, Alternaria kordkuyana sp. nov., in section Pseudoalternaria. Morphological assessments revealed a high degree of variation among section Infectoriae isolates and that A. kordkuyana has significant morphological differences as compared to the three other species currently described in section Pseudoalternaria.

Bipolaris oryzae causes rice brown spot (RBS) in common rice (Oryza sativa) inflicting substantial grain yield losses worldwide. Knowledge of the population structure, genetic diversity, and sexual recombination of the fungal pathogen can help to implement effective disease management strategies. In this study, B. oryzae isolates sampled from Iran, The Philippines, and Japan were analyzed with 12 simple-sequence repeat (SSR) markers newly developed from the genome sequence of the fungus. Among the 288 B. oryzae isolates genotyped, 278 unique haplotypes were identified. High genotype numbers (richness) with even distribution (evenness) were found within the collection sites. Both mating types, MAT1-1 and MAT1-2, were present in each collection area, and the sexual state was induced under controlled conditions with production of viable ascospores. However, the tests of linkage disequilibrium did allow rejection of the hypothesis of random mating. Discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) revealed that the B. oryzae collection formed three clusters each consisting of isolates from different collection sites. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that genetic variation among clusters was 18.7%, with the rest distributed within clusters (Rst = 0.187, P < 0.001). Statistically significant pairwise-genetic differentiation was found between the clusters. These results show that Asian B. oryzae isolates are genetically diverse, and overall distributed in three groups. Those findings will be helpful in managing the disease and guide the use of representative set of isolates needed for selection of RBS resistant rice varieties. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

A high affinity and selectivity DNA aptamer for aflatoxin B

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Angola, Gnomoniopsis angolensis and Pseudopithomyces angolensis on unknown host plants. Australia, Dothiora corymbiae on Corymbia citriodora, Neoeucasphaeria eucalypti (incl. Neoeucasphaeria gen. nov.)on Eucalyptus sp., Fumagopsis stellae on Eucalyptus sp., Fusculina eucalyptorum (incl. Fusculinaceae fam. nov.) on Eucalyptus socialis, Harknessia corymbiicola on Corymbia maculata, Neocelosporium eucalypti (incl. Neocelosporium gen. nov., Neocelosporiaceae fam. nov. and Neocelosporiales ord. nov.) on Eucalyptus cyanophylla, Neophaeomoniella corymbiae on Corymbia citriodora, Neophaeomoniella eucalyptigena on Eucalyptus pilularis, Pseudoplagiostoma corymbiicola on Corymbia citriodora, Teratosphaeria gracilis on Eucalyptus gracilis, Zasmidium corymbiae on Corymbia citriodora. Brazil, Calonectria hemileiae on pustules of Hemileia vastatrix formed on leaves of Coffea arabica, Calvatia caatinguensis on soil, Cercospora solani-betacei on Solanum betaceum, Clathrus natalensis on soil, Diaporthe poincianellae on Poincianella pyramidalis, Geastrum piquiriunense on soil, Geosmithia carolliae on wing of Carollia perspicillata, Henningsia resupinata on wood, Penicillium guaibinense from soil, Periconia caespitosa from leaf litter, Pseudocercospora styracina on Styrax sp., Simplicillium filiforme as endophyte from Citrullus lanatus, Thozetella pindobacuensis on leaf litter, Xenosonderhenia coussapoae on Coussapoa floccosa., Canary Islands (Spain), Orbilia amarilla on Euphorbia canariensis. Cape Verde Islands, Xylodon jacobaeus on Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Chile, Colletotrichum arboricola on Fuchsia magellanica. Costa Rica, Lasiosphaeria miniovina ontreebranch. Ecuador, Ganoderma chocoense ontreetrunk. France, Neofitzroyomyces nerii (incl. Neofitzroyomyces gen. nov.) on Nerium oleander. Ghana, Castanediella tereticornis on Eucalyptus tereticornis, Falcocladium africanum on Eucalyptus brassiana, Rachicladosporium corymbiae on Corymbia citriodora. Hungary, Entoloma silvae-frondosae in Carpinus betulus-Pinus sylvestris mixedforest. Iran, Pseudopyricularia persiana on Cyperus sp. Italy, Inocybe roseascens onsoilinmixedforest. Laos, Ophiocordyceps houaynhangensis on Coleoptera larva. Malaysia, Monilochaetes melastomae on Melastoma sp. Mexico, Absidia terrestris fromsoil. Netherlands, Acaulium pannemaniae, Conioscypha boutwelliae, Fusicolla septimanifiniscientiae, Gibellulopsis simonii, Lasionectria hilhorstii, Lectera nordwiniana, Leptodiscella rintelii, Parasarocladium debruynii and Sarocladium dejongiae (incl. Sarocladiaceae fam. nov.) fromsoil. New Zealand, Gnomoniopsis rosae on Rosa sp. and Neodevriesia metrosideri on Metrosideros sp. Puerto Rico, Neodevriesia coccolobae on Coccoloba uvifera, Neodevriesia tabebuiae and Alfaria tabebuiae on Tabebuia chrysantha . Russia, Amanita paludosa on bogged soil in mixed deciduous forest, Entoloma tiliae in forest of Tilia × europaea, Kwoniella endophytica on Pyrus communis., South Africa, Coniella diospyri on Diospyros mespiliformis, Neomelanconiella combreti (incl. Neomelanconiellaceae fam. nov. and Neomelanconiella gen. nov.)on Combretum sp., Polyphialoseptoria natalensis on unidentified plant host, Pseudorobillarda bolusanthi on Bolusanthus speciosus, Thelonectria pelargonii on Pelargonium sp. Spain, Vermiculariopsiella lauracearum and Anungitopsis lauri on Laurus novocanariensis, Geosmithia xerotolerans from a darkened wall of a house, Pseudopenidiella gallaica on leaf litter. Thailand, Corynespora thailandica on wood, Lareunionomyces loeiensis on leaf litter, Neocochlearomyces chromolaenae (incl. Neocochlearomyces gen. nov.) on Chromolaena odorata, Neomyrmecridium septatum (incl. Neomyrmecridium gen. nov .), Pararamichloridium caricicola on Carex sp., Xenodactylaria thailandica (incl. Xenodactylariaceae fam. nov. and Xenodactylaria gen. nov.), Neomyrmecridium asiaticum and Cymostachys thailandica fromunidentifiedvine. USA, Carolinigaster bonitoi (incl. Carolinigaster gen. nov.)fromsoil, Penicillium fortuitum from house dust, Phaeotheca shathenatiana (incl. Phaeothecaceae fam. nov.) from twig and cone litter, Pythium wohlseniorum from stream water, Superstratomyces tardicrescens from human eye, Talaromyces iowaense from officeair. Vietnam, Fistulinella olivaceoalba onsoil. Morphological and culture characteristics along with DNA barcodes are provided Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Angola, Gnomoniopsis angolensis and Pseudopithomyces angolensis on unknown host plants. Australia, Dothiora corymbiae on Corymbia citriodora, Neoeucasphaeria eucalypti (incl. Neoeucasphaeria gen. nov.)on Eucalyptus sp., Fumagopsis stellae on Eucalyptus sp., Fusculina eucalyptorum (incl. Fusculinaceae fam. nov.) on Eucalyptus socialis, Harknessia corymbiicola on Corymbia maculata, Neocelosporium eucalypti (incl. Neocelosporium gen. nov., Neocelosporiaceae fam. nov. and Neocelosporiales ord. nov.) on Eucalyptus cyanophylla, Neophaeomoniella corymbiae on Corymbia citriodora, Neophaeomoniella eucalyptigena on Eucalyptus pilularis, Pseudoplagiostoma corymbiicola on Corymbia citriodora, Teratosphaeria gracilis on Eucalyptus gracilis, Zasmidium corymbiae on Corymbia citriodora. Brazil, Calonectria hemileiae on pustules of Hemileia vastatrix formed on leaves of Coffea arabica, Calvatia caatinguensis on soil, Cercospora solani-betacei on Solanum betaceum, Clathrus natalensis on soil, Diaporthe poincianellae on Poincianella pyramidalis, Geastrum piquiriunense on soil, Geosmithia carolliae on wing of Carollia perspicillata, Henningsia resupinata on wood, Penicillium guaibinense from soil, Periconia caespitosa from leaf litter, Pseudocercospora styracina on Styrax sp., Simplicillium filiforme as endophyte from Citrullus lanatus, Thozetella pindobacuensis on leaf litter, Xenosonderhenia coussapoae on Coussapoa floccosa., Canary Islands (Spain), Orbilia amarilla on Euphorbia canariensis. Cape Verde Islands, Xylodon jacobaeus on Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Chile, Colletotrichum arboricola on Fuchsia magellanica. Costa Rica, Lasiosphaeria miniovina ontreebranch. Ecuador, Ganoderma chocoense ontreetrunk. France, Neofitzroyomyces nerii (incl. Neofitzroyomyces gen. nov.) on Nerium oleander. Ghana, Castanediella tereticornis on Eucalyptus tereticornis, Falcocladium africanum on Eucalyptus brassiana, Rachicladosporium corymbiae on Corymbia citriodora. Hungary, Entoloma silvae-frondosae in Carpinus betulus-Pinus sylvestris mixedforest. Iran, Pseudopyricularia persiana on Cyperus sp. Italy, Inocybe roseascens onsoilinmixedforest. Laos, Ophiocordyceps houaynhangensis on Coleoptera larva. Malaysia, Monilochaetes melastomae on Melastoma sp. Mexico, Absidia terrestris fromsoil. Netherlands, Acaulium pannemaniae, Conioscypha boutwelliae, Fusicolla septimanifiniscientiae, Gibellulopsis simonii, Lasionectria hilhorstii, Lectera nordwiniana, Leptodiscella rintelii, Parasarocladium debruynii and Sarocladium dejongiae (incl. Sarocladiaceae fam. nov.) fromsoil. New Zealand, Gnomoniopsis rosae on Rosa sp. and Neodevriesia metrosideri on Metrosideros sp. Puerto Rico, Neodevriesia coccolobae on Coccoloba uvifera, Neodevriesia tabebuiae and Alfaria tabebuiae on Tabebuia chrysantha., Russia, Amanita paludosa on bogged soil in mixed deciduous forest, Entoloma tiliae in forest of Tilia × europaea, Kwoniella endophytica on Pyrus communis. South Africa, Coniella diospyri on Diospyros mespiliformis, Neomelanconiella combreti (incl. Neomelanconiellaceae fam. nov. and Neomelanconiella gen. nov.)on Combretum sp., Polyphialoseptoria natalensis on unidentified plant host, Pseudorobillarda bolusanthi on Bolusanthus speciosus, Thelonectria pelargonii on Pelargonium sp. Spain, Vermiculariopsiella lauracearum and Anungitopsis lauri on Laurus novocanariensis, Geosmithia xerotolerans from a darkened wall of a house, Pseudopenidiella gallaica on leaf litter. Thailand, Corynespora thailandica on wood, Lareunionomyces loeiensis on leaf litter, Neocochlearomyces chromolaenae (incl. Neocochlearomyces gen. nov.) on Chromolaena odorata, Neomyrmecridium septatum (incl. Neomyrmecridium gen. nov .), Pararamichloridium caricicola on Carex sp., Xenodactylaria thailandica (incl. Xenodactylariaceae fam. nov. and Xenodactylaria gen. nov.), Neomyrmecridium asiaticum and Cymostachys thailandica fromunidentifiedvine. USA, Carolinigaster bonitoi (incl. Carolinigaster gen. nov.)fromsoil, Penicillium fortuitum from house dust, Phaeotheca shathenatiana (incl. Phaeothecaceae fam. nov.) from twig and cone litter, Pythium wohlseniorum from stream water, Superstratomyces tardicrescens from human eye, Talaromyces iowaense from officeair. Vietnam, Fistulinella olivaceoalba onsoil. Morphological and culture characteristics along with DNA barcodes are provided., Tatiana M. Bulyonkova and colleagues are grateful to Dr Rodham Tulloss for his patient guidance and help, and to Dr Torbjørn Borgen Lindhardt for his invaluable advice. Thays G.L. Oliveira, Maria T.C. Felipe, Jadson D.P. Bezerra and Oliane M. C. Magalhães acknowledge financial support and/or scholarships from the CAPES (Finance Code 001), CNPq and FACEPE. Aline O.B. da Cunha, Alexandre R. Machado, Eder Barbier, Enrico Bernard and Cristina M. Souza-Motta acknowledge financial support and/or scholarships from the CAPES (Finance Code 001), CNPq, FACEPE, CECAV and ICMBio from Brazil. Rejane M.F. da Silva and colleagues express their gratitude to the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for a scholarship to Rejane M.F. da Silva and to the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for a research fellowships and/or financial support to Gladstone A. da Silva, Cristina M. Souza-Motta, José L. Bezerra and Rafael J.V. de Oliveira (Processes 458622/2014-1 and 312186/2016-9). Olinto L. Pereira, Vanessa P. Abreu, Jackeline P. Andrade and colleagues would like to thank the CNPq, CAPES and FAPEMIG for financial support. The study of Olga V. Morozova was carried out within the framework of a research project of the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS ‘Herbarium funds of the BIN RAS’ (АААА-А18-118022090078-2) with the support of the molecular work by the Russian Foundation for the Basic Research (project no. 15-29-02622). Anna M. Glushakova and Aleksey V. Kachalkin were supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), project no. 16-04-00624a. Janet Jennifer Luangsa-ard and colleagues were supported by ‘The Promotion Project on Science, Technology and Innovation Collaboration with ASEAN Member Countries under the Office of International Cooperation, MOSTThailand’. They would also like to thank Ms Duangkaew Chongkachornphong, Ms Papawee Nupason (International Cooperation Section, BIOTEC) and Ms Bakeo Souvannalath (Director of Biotechnology Division, Biotechnology and Ecology Institute, BEI) for their kind cooperation. Javier Fernández-López and colleagues are grateful to Marian Glenn for checking the text, and were supported by DGICT projects CGL2012-35559 and CGL2015-67459-P., Javier Fernández-López was also supported by Predoctoral Grants (BES- 2013-066429) from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spain). Maria E. Ordoñez and colleagues acknowledge Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador for financial support for project M13415. Taimy Cantillo is thankful to PEC-PG/CAPES for the PhD grant (proc. 12636134/2014) (Finance Code 001) and to the International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) for the Research Grant. Luis F.P. Gusmão is grateful to CNPq for Grant support (Proc. 303062/2014-2). Hugo Madrid was partially funded by Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (CONICYT), Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT), Chile, project no. 11140562. Tor Erik Brandrud, Bálint Dima, Machiel E. Noordeloos and Egil Bendiksen thank the financial support of the Norwegian Taxonomy Initiative, with funding from the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre (NBIC), The Austrian Entoloma material (by Irmgard Krisai-Greilhuber) was sequenced within ABOL, subproject HRSFM University of Vienna, supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. Adriene M. Soares and colleagues would like to thank the Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) and the Instituto Brasileiro de Meio Ambiente (IBAMA) for support during field trips and R.L.M. Alvarenga for the figures. They also acknowledge CAPES for the Ph.D. scholarship of Adriene M. Soares, and CNPq (307601/2015-3), CAPES (CAPES-SIU 008/13), and FACEPE (APQ-0375-2.03/15) for financial support. Angus J. Carnegie acknowledges support from the Forestry Corporation of NSW, and David Sargeant for assistance with site photos. Adel Pordel and colleagues thank the University of Tehran for financial support. Luis Quijada acknowledges support from ‘Fundación Ramón Areces’. Robert W. Barreto and colleagues thank the World Coffee Research/Texas Agrilife for financial support, as well as the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). Sara Salcedo-Sarmiento was supported by the ‘Programa de Estudante-Convênio de Pós-Graduação’ (PEC-PG) from CAPES. The research of Cobus M. Visagie and Keith A. Seifert was supported by grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Program on the Microbiology of the Built Environment. Blaise A. Darvaux acknowledges Keith A. Seifert for help with identification, Nicholas Mauriello for validating the Latin name, Mauricia Lawrence and Meagan Tillotson for help with material preparation. We are grateful to Gavin Phillips, Seed Bank Officer, Australian Botanic Garden, Mt Annan for field assistance and identification of plant species collected in New South Wales, Australia. Collection of specimens from Mungo National Park was supported by the ABRS Bush Blitz program, a partnership between the Australian Government, BHP and Earthwatch Australia. The National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project is acknowledged for assistance and funding to J. Roux for material collected in Angola.

Bacillus subtilis UTB1, a biocontrol bacterium isolated from Iranian pistachio nuts, has revealed to have antagonistic activity against aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus R5. The strain UTB1 produces lipopeptide compounds and is able to degrade aflatoxin B1. In this study, a random mutagenesis generated using different doses of gamma irradiation (0.1e3 KGy) was applied on B. subtilis UTB1 to improve its antagonistic activity against A. flavus R5. Five hundred bacterial colonies were selected randomly after irradiation, and their effects against A. flavus R5 were assessed in a plate assay. Forty-five colonies (9%) exhibited higher inhibition activity as compared to the non-irradiated wild type. Eight colonies out of the 45 were selected based on different polymorphism patterns obtained by repetitive element sequence polymorphism-PCR (ERIC and BOX) analyses; six of which could significantly inhibit the fungal growth utilizing washed cells and cell-free supernatants as compared to the parental strain. According to thinlayer chromatograms, the production of lipopeptides including surfactin, fengycin and iturin families increased in these six mutants. A considerable inhibition of the fungal growth was observed using bioautography analysis, which associated with iturins production. A. flavus sporulation and aflatoxin content decreased significantly in pistachio nuts treated with mutants M419 and M464 as compared to the strain UTB1. These results suggest that both mutants M419 and M464 could be promising biocontrol candidates against A. flavus in pistachio nuts.

In this study, a new endophyte species within the genus Deniquelata (Didymosphaeriaceae) was isolated from the branches of Persian oak trees (Quercus brantii) in Zagros forests, Iran. The maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses of 18S, 28S and ITS, rDNA sequence data revealed that the isolates were distinct from other species of the Deniquelata. Based on molecular phylogenetic and morphological characteristics, this fungus was demonstrated to be a new species, Deniquelata quercina. Detailed descriptions and illustrations were provided for D. quercina and it was compared with other known species in the genus.

Genetic diversity of 40 isolates of Valsa malicola in Iran was investigated by MP-PCR. Isolates were obtained from different host plants in diverse regions during 2004–2010. Of the six microsatellite primers tested, only four primers; (ACTG)4, (GACA)4, (AC)8 and (CGA)5, were able to amplify DNA fragments. With these four primers, 120 loci were identified; of which eight were monomorphic (6.7%) and 112 were polymorphic (93.3%). Approximate size of amplified DNA fragments ranged from 0.2 to 3 kb. Observed high genetic diversity in isolates of V. malicola indicates the eligibility of the marker to investigate ranks below the species level. The results of cluster analysis indicated that isolates are related to each other with 45.63% similarity and four groups (1, 2, 3 and 4) were identified in the dendrogram. Group 3 included 37 isolates that were obtained from different hosts and geographical regions and each of groups 1, 2 and 4 only had one isolate. Some correlations between identified groups and host orig...

Bacillus subtilis UTB1 is known as a biocontrol agent of Aspergillus flavus in pistachio nuts. In order to reduce growth of this fungal pathogen to a greater extent, a random mutagenesis using gamma irradiation was applied in strain UTB1. We studied the effects of different doses of irradiation (from 100 Gray to 3000 Gray) and efficiency of 500 selected colonies was assessed against A. flavus in a plate assay. Forty-five colonies exhibited higher inhibition activity compared to the non-irradiated wild type. Eight mutants out of the 45 were selected based on different polymorphism patterns obtained by rep-PCR (ERIC and BOX). Six mutants demonstrated enhanced production of biosurfactants on blood agar medium and in oil spreading technique and they also revealed more robust biofilm in comparison with the wild type UTB1. These observations showed that the six mutants are more effective biocontrol agents than the parental strain, suggesting that they would be promising biocontrol candidates against A. flavus i...

In this study, host-specific forms of the blast pathogen Magnaporthe grisea in Iran were characterized from distinct hosts using a combination of molecular and biological assays. A total of 106 isolates of M. grisea were obtained from north of Iran besides of seven international standards mating type (ISMT) tester isolates achieved from France. Population genetically analyzed with selected markers, such as complementation tests of nit mutants and rep-PCR to evaluate such events. Compatible isolates by complementation tests were assigned to the same vegetative compatibility group (VCG) detected as VCG1 to VCG9 among isolates from rice and weeds. During rep-PCR analysis a total of 42 polymorphic banding patterns were scored from 106 isolates which clustered by host with high bootstrap support (72 to 100 %). Genetic structure between rice and weeds isolates differed significantly. Eleven clonal lineages were identified with only two fingerprinting groups for ISMT isolates considering similarity coefficient of approximately 60 % with rice isolates. Additionally, the majority of the isolates from weeds (78.43 %) were gashed from rice isolates in 43 % similarity. Clear differences in cultivar compatibility within and between lineages suggest Distinctive patterns of genetic diversity of host-specific forms of M. grisea populations linked to crop domestication and agricultural intensification.

Trichoderma species and fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. have been reported to induce systemic resistance in plants. In this study the effectiveness of a combination of these biological control agents on the efficacy of induced resis- tance was investigated in cucumber and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Trichoderma harzianum Tr6, and Pseudomonas sp. Ps14, both isolated from the rhizosphere of cucumber, were tested as a single application and in combination for their abilities to elicit induced resistance in cucumber against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis cucumerinum and in A. thaliana against Botrytis cinerea. The combination of Tr6 and Ps14 induced a significantly higher level of resistance in cucumber, which was associated with the primed expression of a set of defense-related genes upon challenge with Fusarium. In Arabidopsis both Ps14 and Tr6 triggered ISR against B. cinerea but their combination did not show enhanced effects. In the induced systemic resistance-defective Arabidopsis mutant myb72, none of the treatments protected against B. cinerea, whereas in the SA-impaired mutant sid2 all treatments were effective. Taken together, these results indicate that in Arabidopsis Ps14 and Tr6 activate the same signaling pathway and thus have no enhanced effect in combination. The enhanced protection in cucumber by the combi- nation is most likely due to activation of different signaling pathways by the two biocontrol agents.

The population genetic structure of 278 Venturia inaequalis isolates, collected from different apple cultivars of eighteen different provinces in Iran, was investigated using 22 polymorphic microsatellite markers. Analysis of molecular variation, Bayesian clustering and Nei's genetic distance analyses based on 88 microsatellite alleles indicated substantial levels of gene flow among the collection sites. Ninety three percent of the variation was observed among the individuals within the populations and only 7% variation was observed among the populations. Structure analysis grouped the isolates into two populations. Maximum number of pathogen genotypes (44) was observed in the North of Iran that grows various different apple cultivars. Investigation on the variation of the pathogen on different cultivars in the North of Iran suggested a significant differentiation of the pathogen populations between wild apple and commercial cultivars. During sampling, varying ranges of scab infection were observed on various apple cultivars in forests, monoculture and mix orchards. Wild type apple (Malus orientalis) along the Caspian Sea Coast had the most infection in comparison with the Iranian endemic and commercial cultivars. Based on the genetic analysis and host tracking scenario of the pathogen, it was presumed that Iran could potentially be the center of origin of V. inaequalis, which requires further detailed studies with isolates collected from different parts of central Asia and world for confirmation.

Shot hole disease is one of the most important diseases of stone fruit trees in Iran. The disease is wide spread among orchards of Prunus spp. During spring and summer of 2007, 80 monoconidial isolates of the pathogen were recovered from infected leaves, fruits and twigs of different Prunus spp. in West Azerbaijan, Tehran, Ghazvin and Razavi Khorasan provinces of Iran and were studied taxonomically. Based on morphological and physiological characteristics and growth optimal temperature, all isolates were identified as Wilsonomyces carpophilus. Seedlings of stone fruits (apricot, almond, peach, nectarine, plum, sweet cherry and sour cherry) were used for pathogenicity tests. All seedlings were susceptible to the fungal isolates and showed disease symptoms on twigs, leaves, buds and petioles. Genetic diversity of 28 selected fungal isolates was investigated based on DNA fingerprinting by random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR), using four random primers. Based on cluster analys...