Phylogenetic relationships of Rhizoctonia fungi within the order Cantharellales were studied using sequence data from portions of the ribosomal DNA cluster regions ITS-LSU, rpb2, tef1 and atp6 for 50 taxa, and public sequence data from the rpb2 locus for 165 taxa. Data sets were analyzed individually and combined using Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Phylogenetic Inference methods. All analyses supported the monophyly of the family Ceratobasidiaceae, which comprises the genera Ceratobasidium and Thanatephorus. Multi-locus analysis revealed 10 well supported monophyletic groups that were consistent with previous separation into anastomosis groups based on hyphal fusion criteria. This analysis coupled with analyses of a larger sample of 165 rpb2 sequences of fungi in the Cantharellales supported a sister relationship between the Botryobasidiaceae and Ceratobasidiaceae and a sister relationship of the Tulasnellaceae with the rest of the Cantharellales. The inclusion of additional sequence data did not clarify incongruences observed in previous studies of Rhizoctonia fungi in the Cantharellales based on analyses of a single or multiple genes. The diversity of ecological and morphological characters associated with these fungi requires further investigation on character evolution for re-evaluating homologous and homoplasious characters.

In this paper we present the first report of the occurrence of a binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. causing hypocotyl and root rot in kale in Brazil. Rhizoctonia spp. were isolated from kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) with symptoms of hypocotyl and root rot. The isolates, characterized as binucleate Rhizoctonia spp., did not show an anastomosis reaction with any of the binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. testers used. The pathogenicity of the isolates was tested under greenhouse conditions; all isolates were pathogenic and showed different symptom severities on kale. The ITS-5.8S rDNA sequences of kale isolates and 50 testers (25 binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. and 25 Rhizoctonia solani) were compared in order to characterize the genetic identity of Rhizoctonia spp. infecting kale. The kale isolates showed genetic identities ranging from 99.3 to 99.8% and were phylogenetically closely related to CAG 7 (AF354084), with identities of 98.5 and 98.7%. It is suggested that the binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. causing hypocotyl and root rot on kale Brazil comprises a new AG not yet described.

A mancha bacteriana, causada por Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. passiflorae, é uma das mais importantes doenças do maracujazeiro, podendo limitar a produção dessa frutífera em algumas regiões do País. O uso de resistência genética e controle químico, juntamente com o emprego de medidas de exclusão, são as práticas de controle da doença mais recomendadas. Para o desenvolvimento de variedades resistentes é necessário conhecer tanto a variabilidade genética do hospedeiro quanto do patógeno. Nesse trabalho foi estudada a variabilidade de cinqüenta isolados patogênicos de Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. passiflorae, coletados em quatro diferentes locais no estado de São Paulo. No estudo da variabilidade genética foram usados dados de marcadores moleculares RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA), os quais foram usados para o cálculo do coeficiente de similaridade de Dice entre os isolados, análise de variância molecular (AMOVA) entre e dentro das populações e agrupamento dos isolados pelo método UPGMA. Para análise da agressividade foram usados cinco isolados, mais divergentes, baseado no dendrograma. O coeficiente de similaridade variou entre 0,6887 e 0,9688. Na análise de agrupamento, os isolados foram separados em sete grupos e não houve relação evidente entre local de coleta com a composição dos grupos. Na análise da variância molecular (AMOVA) verificou-se que a maior parte da variabilidade genética está dentro das populações (89,4%) e apenas 10,6%, entre populações. Os resultados da análise de agrupamento e da AMOVA indicam que existe grande fluxo gênico entre isolados bacterianos nas regiões analisadas. No teste de patogenicidade verificou-se diferença significativa de agressividade entre os isolados. Os resultados demonstram a importância do conhecimento da variabilidade genética e da agressividade na seleção dos isolados para serem utilizados em testes de resistência genética no desenvolvimento de variedades resistentes.

3.4 Avaliação in vitro da sensibilidade de isolados de Xanthomonas campestris pv. passiflorae a cobre e

A new rot caused by a binucleate Rhizoctonia sp. affecting the tuberous root cortex of the domesticated yacon ( Smallanthus sonchifolius ) has been observed in Brazil. Isolates of a binucleate Rhizoctonia sp. were collected from roots with rot symptoms and characterized by the number of nuclei per cell, hyphal anastomosis, RAPD molecular markers, ITS-5·8S rDNA sequence and pathogenicity tests. All isolates had a mean of 1·9-2·2 nuclei per cell and anastomosed with the binucleate Rhizoctonia sp. AG G-tester strain. RAPD analysis was carried out between 11 isolates recovered from yacon and 11 AG (A, Ba, Bb, Bo, C, D, F, G, O, P, Q) standard testers of binucleate Rhizoctonia sp. Genetic similarities of 94·8-100% were observed among isolates of the binucleate Rhizoctonia sp. from yacon and all isolates were genetically more closely related to the AG G tester than other strains according to upgma analysis using RAPD markers. Homologies of complete ITS nucleotide sequences were 100% between binucleate isolates of Rhizoctonia sp. from yacon and the AG G tester. According to pathogenicity tests, the isolates caused typical rot symptoms of yacon tubers 90 days after inoculation