Novel Botrytis and Cladosporium Species Associated with Flower Diseases of Macadamia in Australia

Abstract

Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia) is endemic to eastern Australia and produces an edible nut that is widely cultivated in commercial orchards globally. A survey of fungi associated with the grey and green mold symptoms of macadamia flowers found mostly species of Botrytis (Sclerotiniaceae, Leotiomycetes) and Cladosporium (Cladosporiaceae, Dothideomycetes). These isolates included B. cinerea, C. cladosporioides, and unidentified isolates. Amongst the unidentified isolates, one novel species of Botrytis and three novel species of Cladosporium were delimited and characterized by molecular phylogenetic analyses. The new species are Botrytis macadamiae, Cladosporium devikae, C. macadamiae, and C. proteacearum.

Diversity and pathogenicity of species of Botrytis, Cladosporium, Neopestalotiopsis and Pestalotiopsis causing flower diseases of macadamia in Australia

“…Furthermore, the isolates of other fungal genera, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Diaporthe, Epicoccum, Fusarium and Penicillium, did not produce flower blight symptoms on the inoculated racemes. This study showed that multiple species of the genus Neopestalotiopsis, including a previously reported species N. macadamiae (Holtzmann, 1963) and a novel species B. macadamiae (Prasannath et al, 2021a), cause severe grey mould on macadamia inflorescences. Koch's postulates were fulfilled with representative isolates of all these fungi, including the ex-type isolates of the new species previously described by Prasannath et al (2021aPrasannath et al ( , 2021b.…”

“…vheenae and N . zakeelii , recently described by Prasannath et al (2021a), that were also proven to be pathogenic on racemes causing dry flower disease in Australia. In this study, P .…”

“…cinerea (Holtzmann, 1963) and a novel species B . macadamiae (Prasannath et al, 2021a), cause severe grey mould on macadamia inflorescences. Koch's postulates were fulfilled with representative isolates of all these fungi, including the ex‐type isolates of the new species previously described by Prasannath et al (2021a, 2021b).…”

Detection and identification of fungi in the lower airway of children with and without cystic fibrosis

“…Similarly, both groups exhibited high prevalence of Malassezia , Cladosporium , Pleosporales, and undifferentiated fungi. While the undifferentiated fungi could be further classified in future studies, Malassezia is associated with a variety of human skin conditions, including dandruff ( Gupta et al, 2004 ), Cladosporium is found in both indoor and outdoor environments and known to be associated with decaying plants and spoiled food ( Bullerman, 2003 ; Prasannath et al, 2021 ), and Pleosporales is responsible for black mold commonly found in indoor environments. Additionally, ordination analysis with background reagents revealed little difference between background and patient sample communities.…”

Efficacy of the biocontrol agent Trichoderma hamatum against Lasiodiplodia theobromae on macadamia

“…The planted area of macadamia in China exceeded 301,206 hm 2 by the end of 2018, and now China has the largest and fastest growing macadamia industry, accounting for over 1/3 of global production acreage ( Shuai et al, 2022 ). Macadamia plants have been reported to be susceptible to a variety of fungal pathogens that can variously infect flower, leaf, fruit, stem, and root tissues ( Akinsanmi and Drenth, 2006 , 2017 ; Akinsanmi et al, 2016a , b ; Prasannath et al, 2021a , b ; Li et al, 2022 ). In this regard, species in the genus Lasiodiplodia represent a serious concern for the crop.…”