Marssonina coronaria associated with apple blotch disease causes severe premature defoliation, and is widely distributed in Korea. Thirteen isolates were collected from orchards located in Gyeongbuk Province from 2005~2007. All isolates displayed over 99.6% and 99.2% sequence similarity to each other in internal transcribed spacer regions and partial sequences of 28S rDNA, respectively. The isolates were phylogenetically closely related to Chinese isolates. Selected isolates did not differ in their pathogenicity. The optimum conditions for fungal growth were 20℃ and pH 6 on peptone potato dextrose agar (PPDA). Peptone and mannose were the best nitrogen and carbon source, respectively. Fungal growth was better on PPDA than on common potato dextrose agar. This study provides valuable information for integrated disease management program and facilitates the routine culturing of M. coronaria.

Watermelon (Citrulluslanatus) is an economically important fruit crop worldwide. Gummy stem blight (GSB) is one of the most damaging diseases encountered during watermelon cultivation. In the present study, we identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with GSB resistance in an F2 population derived from a cross between maternal-susceptible line ‘920533’ (C. lanatus) and the paternal-resistant line ‘PI 189225’ (C. amarus). The resistance of 178 F2 plants was assessed by two different evaluation methods, including leaf lesion (LL) and stem blight (SB). To analyze the QTLs associated with GSB resistance, a linkage map was constructed covering a total genetic distance of 1070.2 cM. QTL analysis detected three QTLs associated with GSB resistance on chromosome 8 and 6. Among them, two QTLs, qLL8.1 and qSB8.1 on chromosome 8 identified as major QTLs, explaining 10.5 and 10.0% of the phenotypic variations localizing at same area and sharing the same top markers for both LL and SB traits, respectively. A minor QTL, qSB6.1, explains 9.7% of phenotypic variations detected on chromosome 6 only for the SB trait. High-throughput markers were developed and validated for the selection of resistant QTLs using watermelon accessions, and commercial cultivars. Four potential candidate genes were predicted associated with GSB resistance based on the physical location of flanking markers on chromosome 8. These findings will be helpful for the development of watermelon cultivars resistant to GSB.

This report is the first of cobweb disease on Agaricus bisporus in Korea. Cobweb on both fruit bodies and casing soils were observed on several mushroom farms in Gyeongbuk Province, Korea. Classical and molecular characterization indicated that the causal agent is Cladobotryum mycophilum. The isolated fungus was used to inoculate fruiting bodies of A. bisporus and caused the same symptoms.

Apple blotch is a major apple disease and recently it causes critical economic losses in apple orchards in Korea. In this review, we described the history of apple blotch researches, ecology and life cycle of Marssonina coronaria, cultural and molecular characteristics and simple isolation method as well. Furthermore, characteristic of apple blotch like symptoms, its cause still unknown, occurs frequently in cv. "Fuji" was described in detail.

Phyllody symptoms in sesame plants consisting of green leaf-like floral organs were collected from Yezin area, NayPyiTaw Division, Myanmar in January, 2010 and the etiological agent was investigated. By using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), phytoplasma was detected from the symptoms and termed sesame phyllody phytoplasma (SP-MYAN). Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of 16S rDNA products revealed that the diseased sesames were infected by phytoplasma belonging to the group 16SrI and subgroup 16SrI-B. Sequence analysis confirmed that SP-MYAN was a member of Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris and most closely related to that of sesame phyllody phytoplasma from India (99.6 % similarity, DQ431843), Ca. P. asteris strain. To our knowledge, this is the first report on molecular identification of 'Ca. P. asteris' affecting sesame crop in Myanmar.

From June to October 2012, severe outbreaks of rust disease on Solidago virgaurea var. gigantea were observed in 5 different regions of Ulleung-do, Korea. Typical rust symptoms appeared as yellow spots, uredinia on leaves, and massive urediniospores covering the entire plant. Severely infected plants became discolored and died. On the basis of its morphological and molecular characteristics, the causal agent was identified as Coleosporium asterum. This pathogen has been reported as rust disease on S. virgaurea in the Canada and United States. In Korea, rust disease on S. virgaurea var. gigantea was reported as Uromyces rudbeckia in 1992. To the best of our knowledge, C. asterum is a novel rust pathogen on S. virgaurea var. gigantea in Korea.

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