DNA Barcoding Reveals Diversity of <i>Cytospora</i> Species Associated with Branch Dieback and Canker Diseases of Woody Plants in Canada
Listed in
This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.Abstract
Branch dieback and canker diseases caused by Cytospora species negatively affect health of woody plants worldwide. In this study, 59 Cytospora isolates were obtained from symptomatic trees and shrubs growing in southwest Ontario and Saskatchewan, Canada. DNA barcoding approach combined with morphological (culture) characterization identified 15 known species of Cytospora associated with the diseases: C. chrysosperma, C. curvata, C. euonymina, C. hoffmannii, C. kantschavelii, C. leucosperma, C. leucostoma, C. nitschkeana, C. piceae, C. populina, C. pruinopsis, C. pruinosa, C. ribis, C. schulzeri, and C. sorbina. The obtained results contribute to the study of diversity, host affiliation, geographical distribution, and pathogenicity of Cytospora species occurring on woody plants in both natural habitats and agricultural systems. The findings also support the effectiveness of using sequence barcodes (ITS, act1) in fungal taxonomy and plant pathology studies.