Neopestalotiopsis eucalypti,a causal agent of grapevine shoot rot in cutting nurseries in China

Grapevine(Vitis vinifera L.)is an economically important fruit crop in the world,and China ranks first in the production of grapes with approximately 15%of the world’s total yield.However,diseases that cause the death of grapevine shoots pose a severe threat to the production of grapes.In this study,the fungus Neopestalotiopsis eucalypti was identified as a causal pathogen of grapevine shoot rot based on the morphology of conidia and a phylogenetic analysis.The phylogenetic analysis was performed with three isolates based on the combined sequence of internal transcribed spacer(ITS)region of ribosomal DNA,part of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha(Tef)and theβ-tubulin(Tub2)genes.The three isolates were all identified as N.eucalypti.Pathogenicity tests of the three fungal isolates were conducted on grapevines shoots in vitro and in vivo.The results showed that all three fungal isolates caused severe rot lesions on the inoculated grapevine shoots,and N.eucalypti was re-isolated from the inoculated grapevine shoots.Therefore,N.eucalypti was confirmed as a causal agent of the grapevine shoot rot.This is the first report of N.eucalypti causing grapevine shoot disease in China.

Insights into the Tricholomatineae (Agaricales, Agaricomycetes): a new arrangement of Biannulariaceae and Callistosporium, Callistosporiaceae fam. nov., Xerophorus stat. nov., and Pleurocollybia incorporated into Callistosporium

A new classification of the taxa formerly ascribed to Biannulariaceae(≡Catathelasmataceae),viz.Catathelasma(type),Callistosporium,Pleurocollybia,Macrocybe,Pseudolaccaria,Guyanagarika and Anupama is here proposed.Phylogenetic inference of the Tricholomatineae based on the analysis of a combined dataset of nuclear genes including ITS,18S and 28S rDNA,tef1 and rpb2 data supports significantly a monophyletic origin of the aforementioned genera with the exception of Catathelasma,which is significantly related with Bonomyces and Cleistocybe.Biannulariaceae is therefore emended to include the clade formed by Catathelasma,Bonomyces and Cleistocybe.Consequently,the new family Callistosporiaceae is proposed to name the clade containing Callistosporium(=Pleurocollybia)and related genera.Species of Callistosporium with distant lamellae,long hygrophoroid basidia and large amygdaliform spores are accommodated in the new genus Xero-phorus.Finally,the new species Callistosporium pseudofelleum and Macrocybe sardoa are described,Clitocybe hesleri and C.fellea are combined into Callistosporium and Pseudolaccaria,respectively,and Callistosporium olivascens var.donadinii is upgraded to species rank and combined into Xerophorus.

Valsaria and the Valsariales

More than 100 recent collections of Valsaria sensu lato mostly from Europe were used to elucidate the species composition within the genus.Multigene phylogeny based on SSU,LSU,ITS,rpb2 and tef1 sequences revealed a monophyletic group of ten species within the Dothideomycetes,belonging to three morphologically similar genera.This group could not be accommodated in any known family and are thus classified in the new family Valsariaceae and the new order Valsariales.The genus Valsaria sensu stricto comprises V.insitiva,V.robiniae,V.rudis,V.spartii,V.lopadostomoides sp.nov.and V.neotropica sp.nov.,which are phylogenetically well-defined,but morphologically nearly indistinguishable species.The new monotypic genus Bambusaria is introduced to accommodate Valsaria bambusae.Munkovalsaria rubra and Valsaria fulvopruinata are combined in Myrmaecium,a genus traditionally treated as a synonym of Valsaria,which comprises three species,with M.rubricosum as its generic type.This work is presented as a basis for additional species to be detected in future.