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Title: The rust fungus Gymnosporangium in Korea including two new species, G. monticola and G. unicorne

Author
item YUN, HYE YOUNG - Seoul National University
item HONG, SOON GYU - Korea Research Institute
item Rossman, Amy
item LEE, SEUNG KYU - Korea Research Institute
item LEE, KYUNG JOON - Seoul National University
item BAE, KYUNG SOOK - Korea Research Institute

Submitted to: Mycologia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/9/2009
Publication Date: 10/27/2009
Citation: Yun, H., Hong, S., Rossman, A.Y., Lee, S., Lee, K., Bae, K. 2009. The rust fungus Gymnosporangium in Korea including two new species, G. monticola and G. unicorne. Mycologia. 101(6):790-809.

Interpretive Summary: Rust fungi are a very large and diverse group of parasites that attack crop plants and forest trees. Accurate knowledge of the distribution of rusts is important for tracking the movement of these disease-causing fungi. In this research a survey of the rust fungi in the genus Gymnosporangium or apple rust fungi in Korea was undertaken. In this paper the nine species of Gymnosporangium are described and illustrated including two newly discovered species and several new host records are reported. Knowledge of the distribution of plant pathogenic fungi is useful to agronomists and plant pathologists as well as plant quarantine officials.

Technical Abstract: A survey was conducted of species of the rust fungus Gymnosporangium in Korea. The previously known species were recollected, namely Gymnosporangium asiaticum, G. clavariiforme, G. globosum, G. japonicum, and G. yamadae. Although G. cornutum was reported from Korea, collections similar to that species were determined to be a previously unknown species that is herein described as G. monticola sp. nov. A second new species was discovered and is described as G. unicorne sp. nov. Gymnosporangium fuscum and G. nidus-avis are reported for the first time from Korea. One report of G. miyabei could not be verified and is considered unreliable. Similarly G. shiraianum was reported once previously but its presence in Korea could not be confirmed. Based on the new and previously collected specimens, each of the nine species of Gymnosporangium in Korea is described and illustrated. The D1/D2 domain of 28S rDNA was sequenced from freshly collected specimens. Phylogenetic analyses of these sequences show that species of Gymnosporangium form a monophyletic group with strong bootstrap support within the rust fungi. The two new species, G. monticola and G. unicorne, are unique based on both morphological and molecular characteristics. Analyses of the phenotypic characters mapped onto the phylogenetic tree show that teliospore length followed by telial shape, telial length, position of telia, and telial host are well conserved morphological characters that can be used to differentiate the nine species of Gymnosporangium in Korea. Keys based on aecial and telial stages are included for the identification of the nine species of Gymnosporangium known from Korea.