Microfungi associated with dying Euphorbia mauritanica in South Africa and their relative pathogenicity

• Published in: Fungal systematics and evolution 2023-11, Vol.12, p.59-71
• Main Authors: Marincowitz, S, Pham, N Q, Wingfield, B D, Roets, F, Wingfield, M J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2589-3823; 2589-3831
• DOI: 10.3114/fuse.2023.12.04

is a succulent shrub that is indigenous to South Africa and widely distributed throughout the country. Dying plants have been observed in their natural habitat in the Northern and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa in recent years. Stems displaying lesions were collected and the emerging cultures were identified based on ITS, LSU, , , and/or sequence data. Four filamentous fungi were consistently observed and isolated. One was identified as ( ) , and the other three were new to science and are described here as ., . and ( .) These new species and were the most commonly encountered, and their pathogenicity was tested on plants in a greenhouse trial. All four species gave rise to lesions that were significantly larger than those associated with the controls, but they were not significantly different to each other. Although the lesions associated with the inoculations were well-developed, they did not give rise to plant death, suggesting that they are not responsible for the large-scale die-off of in the field. The primary cause of the death of in the studied area remains unknown and could be due to environmental factors such as has been found with the die-off of in South Africa. Marincowitz S, Pham NQ, Wingfield BD, Roets F, Wingfield MJ (2023). Microfungi associated with dying in South Africa and their relative pathogenicity. : 59-71. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2023.12.04.