New species of Colletotrichum from wild Poaceae and Cyperaceae plants in Iran

ABSTRACT

Twenty-two Colletotrichum strains were isolated from anthracnose symptoms or leaf spots on leaves of various wild Poaceae and Cyperaceae plants collected in three provinces of Iran and tentatively identified as belonging to the Graminicola species complex based on morphology. All strains were studied via a polyphasic approach combining colony characteristics, morphology and phylogeny inferred from multi-locus sequences, including the nuc rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), partial sequences of the β-tubulin (tub2), actin (act), manganese superoxide dismutase 2 (sod2), DNA lyase 2 (apn2) genes, a 200-bp intron of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh), and the intergenic spacer between the apn2 gene and the mat1 idiomorph (apn2/mat1). Six species were distinguished, including three new species, namely C. caspicum, C. persicum, and C. sacchari, and three previously described species, C. cereale, C. nicholsonii and C. sublineola. Comprehensive morphological descriptions and illustrations are provided for all species. Furthermore, this study provided new insights into the distribution and host range of known species.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Anthracnose
• Ascomycota
• morphology
• new taxa
• phylogeny
• phytopathogen
• systematics; 3 new taxa

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors highly appreciate the kind assistance of Bijan Aghapour, Department of Plant Protection, Baharan Institute of Higher Education, Gorgan, Iran and Dr. Adel Pordel, Plant Protection Research Department, Baluchestan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Centre, AREEO, Iranshahr, Iran, in collecting plant material for this study. We also exceedingly thank Dr. Vahid Khosravi, Rice Research Institute, Mazandaran Branch, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Amol, Iran, Dr. Mohammad Ali Aghajani, Department of Plant Pathology, Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center of Golestan, Gorgan, Iran, Dr. Fereydoon Padasht Dehkaei, Rice Research Institute, Rasht, Guilan, Iran for assistance in accommodation in sampling trips and Dr. Rouhollah Amini, Department of Plant Ecophysiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Iran, for identifying of some of the host plants. The authors highly appreciate the great assistance of Petra Happel, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany in setting up the experiments and for her helpful comments. Prof. Dr Uwe Braun, Institut für Geobotanik und Botanischer Garten, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, is thanked for verifying the Latin names. We gratefully acknowledge the Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany for financial supporting and providing materials.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the Research Deputy of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, the Research Deputy of the University of Tehran, and the Christian-Albrechts-Universität of Kiel, Germany.