Characterization ofCorynelia uberataFr., a putative fungal pathogen ofPodocarpus falcatusinEthiopian forests

Abstract

Summary Corynelia spp. are ascomycetes belonging to the order C oryneliales and are thought to be obligate parasites of trees in the P odocarpaceae . The aims of this study were to determine the disease intensity of C orynelia infection on P odocarpus falcatus in E thiopian forests and verify the identity of C orynelia spp. from E thiopia and other countries using morphological and molecular methods. Disease surveys were conducted in P . falcatus forest areas at A daba‐ D odola, B ushoftu, M enagesha, S hashamane and W ondo G enet in E thiopia between 2009 and 2011, and samples were collected for morphological and molecular studies. Additional dried specimens morphologically collected as C . uberata , C . portoricensis and C . tropica from P odocarpus species in K enya, S outh A frica, P uerto R ico and N ew Z ealand were also characterized. Morphologically, the S outh A frican specimen (F‐006479) of C . uberata had significantly larger ascospores when compared with the other specimens. There was a high sequence similarity (99–100%) in the internal transcribed spacer and 5.8S (ITS‐5.8S) region among the studied C . uberata sequences. Cloning and amplification of the insert spanning partial small ribosomal unit ( SSU ) and ITS ‐5.8S regions of ribosomal DNA validated the unidentified ITS ‐5.8S region as the sequence of C . uberata by inferring the reference sequence of SSU rDNA of C . uberata in G en B ank. Both neighbour‐joining and/or maximum parsimony methods placed ITS ‐5.8S and SSU rDNA sequences of C orynelia spp. at the basal position of the clade E urotiomycetidae. C . uberata was found to be a potential pathogen on leaves, fruits and young stems of P . falcatus in E thiopia.

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