• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.607-618
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• 2021

The pepper anthracnose fungus, Colletotrichum scovillei, causes severe losses of pepper fruit production in the tropical and temperate zones. RAC1 is a highly conserved small GTP-binding protein in the Rho GT-Pase family. This protein has been demonstrated to play a role in fungal development, and pathogenicity in several plant pathogenic fungi. However, the functional roles of RAC1 are not characterized in C. scovillei causing anthracnose on pepper fruits. Here, we generated a deletion mutant (𝜟Csrac1) via homologous recombination to investigate the functional roles of CsRAC1. The 𝜟Csrac1 showed pleiotropic defects in fungal growth and developments, including vegetative growth, conidiogenesis, conidial germination and appressorium formation, compared to wild-type. Although 𝜟Csrac1 was able to develop appressoria, it failed to differentiate appressorium pegs. However, 𝜟Csrac1 still caused anthracnose disease with significantly reduced rate on wounded pepper fruits. Further analyses revealed that 𝜟Csrac1 was defective in tolerance to oxidative stress and suppression of host-defense genes. Taken together, our results suggest that CsRAC1 plays essential roles in fungal development and pathogenicity in C. scovilleipepper fruit pathosystem.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.345-354
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• 2022

NADPH oxidase (Nox) complexes are known to play essential roles in differentiation and proliferation of many filamentous fungi. However, the functions of Noxs have not been elucidated in Colletotrichum species. Therefore, we set out to characterize the roles of Nox enzymes and their regulators in Colletotrichum scovillei, which causes serious anthracnose disease on pepper fruits in temperate and subtropical and temperate region. In this study, we generated targeted deletion mutants for CsNox1, CsNox2, CsNoxR, and CsNoxD via homologous recombination. All deletion mutants were normal in mycelial growth, conidiation, conidial germination, and appressorium formation, suggesting that CsNox1, CsNox2, CsNoxR, and CsNoxD are not involved in those developmental processes. Notably, conidia of 𝜟Csnox2 and 𝜟Csnoxr, other than 𝜟Csnox1 and 𝜟Csnoxd, failed to cause anthracnose on intact pepper fruits. However, they still caused normal disease on wounded pepper fruits, suggesting that Csnox2 and CsnoxR are essential for penetration-related morphogenesis in C. scovillei. Further observation proved that 𝜟Csnox2 and 𝜟Csnoxr were unable to form penetration peg, while they fully developed appressoria, revealing that defect of anthracnose development by 𝜟Csnox2 and 𝜟Csnoxr resulted from failure in penetration peg formation. Our results suggest that CsNox2 and CsNoxR are critical for appressorium-mediated penetration in C. scovillei-pepper fruit pathosystem, which provides insight into understanding roles of Nox genes in anthracnose disease development.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.593-602
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• 2022

Anthracnose, caused by the ascomycete fungus Colletotrichum scovillei, is a destructive disease in pepper. The fungus germinates and develops an infection structure called an appressorium on the plant surface. Several signaling cascades, including cAMP-mediated signaling and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades, are involved in fungal development and pathogenicity in plant pathogenic fungi, but this has not been well studied in the fruit-infecting fungus C. scovillei. Ste50 is an adaptor protein interacting with multiple upstream components to activate the MAPK cascades. Here, we characterized the CsSTE50 gene of C. scovillei, a homolog of Magnaporthe oryzae MST50 that functions in MAPK cascades, by gene knockout. The knockout mutant ΔCsste50 had pleiotropic phenotypes in development and pathogenicity. Compared with the wild-type, the mutants grew faster and produced more conidia on regular agar but were more sensitive to osmotic stress. On artificial and plant surfaces, the conidia of the mutant showed significantly reduced germination and failed to form appressoria. The mutant was completely non-pathogenic on pepper fruits with or without wounds, indicating that pre-penetration and invasive growth were both defective in the mutant. Our results show that the adaptor protein CsSTE50 plays a role in vegetative growth, conidiation, germination, appressorium formation, and pathogenicity in C. scovillei.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.166-170
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• 2002

Powdery mildew of mug bean was found in Suwon on September 2000. Many white and powdery mycelial colonies appeared on leaves of the plants. Conidia with fibrosin bodies were ellipsoid to elongate-ellipsoid, 25~38$\times$16~22 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in size and farmed in chains. Conidiophores were erect on superfical mycelium, 67~100 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in length. Foot cells were cylindric with 37~65$\times$10~11 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in size. Appressoria were indisdinct. Germ tubes from conidia were simple, not branched. Dark brown cleistothecia were observed on the leaves of mung bean. Cleisto-thecia were globose or subglobose, 85~1130 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in size. Wall cells were irregularly polygonal with 15~45$\times$7~26 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$. Appendages were mycelioid, 6-11 per ascocarp, coloured, throught when mature or paler upwards, 1~7 septa, 192~223$\times$5~7 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in size. A single sun had in a cleistothecium and was ovoid or subglobose with 62~95$\times$50~67 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in size. Ascusspore had 8 spores in an ascus and rarely developed, mostly imatuna ellipsoid-ovoid with 16~24$\times$12~16 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$. On the basis of morphological characters of the conidial stage and teleo-morph, the fungus was identified as Sphaerotheca phaseoli.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.86-90
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• 2009

In November 2008, typical powdery mildew symptoms were observed on leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype Col-0 plants in a growth room under controlled laboratory conditions at Korea University, Seoul. The disease was characterized by the appearance of white powder-like fungal growth on the surface of infected leaves. As the disease progressed, infected leaves exhibited chlorotic or necrotic brown lesions, and leaf distortion and senescence. Conidiophores of the causal fungus were hyaline, unbranched, 3-4 celled, cylindrical, and $80-115{\times}6-9{\mu}m$ in size. Singly produced conidia (pseudoidium type) were hyaline, oblong to cylindrical or oval in shape, and $26-55{\times}15-20{\mu}m$ in size with a length/width ratio of average 3, angular/rectangular wrinkling of outer wall and no distinct fibrosin bodies. Appressoria on the hyphae were multi-lobed. These structures are typical of the powdery mildew Oidium subgenus Pseudoidium, anamorph of the genus Erysiphe. The measurements of the fungal structures coincided with those of Erysiphe cruciferarum. The phylogenetic analysis using ITS rDNA sequences revealed that the causal fungus Erysiphe sp. KUS-F23994 is identical to E. cruciferarum. The isolated fungus incited powdery mildew symptoms on the inoculated Arabidopsis leaves, which proved Koch's postulates. Taken all data together, we first report the occurrence of powdery mildew disease of A. thaliana caused by Erysiphe cruciferarum in Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.211-215
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• 2007

Since 2003, anthracnose symptoms on Eucalyptus globulus were observed in farmer's field at Jisepo, Ilwoon-myon, Geoje city, Gyeongnam province, Korea. Typical symptoms of dark brown to black spot appeared on the leaves, twigs, and stems. Infected young trees were wilted, blighted and died eventually. The pathogen isolated from the typical symptom formed gray to dark gray colony on potato dextrose agar and showed optimum growth at $30^{\circ}C$. Conidia were single celled, colorless, cylindrical with obtuse ends, and $9{\sim}22{\times}3{\sim}6{\mu}m$ in size. Appressoria were dark brown, ovate to obovate, and $6{\sim}18{\times}4{\sim}10{\mu}m$ in size. Perithecia were black and globose in shape and $76{\times}274{\mu}m$ in size. Asci were clavate to cylindrical in shape and $42{\sim}76{\times}8{\sim}12{\mu}m$ in size. Ascospores were cylindrical, fusiform, slightly curved at the center, and $10{\sim}23{\times}4{\sim}6{\mu}m$ in size. On the basis of mycological characteristics and pathogenicity test on E. globulus, the pathogen was identified as Glomerella cingulata. This is the first report of the anthracnose on E, globulus caused by G. cingulata in Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.59-62
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• 2002

Anthracnose symptoms were observed on the community area in Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam Province in Korea. The symptoms occurred on leaf and stem, and then plants eventually were died. Colony color was whitish gray to dark gray on potato dextrose agar. Conidia were single celled . colorless, cylindrical and was 10.2~20.4$\times$3.6$\times$6.0$\mu$m in size. Appressoria were dark brown, ovate to obovate and 6.2~10.5$\times$4.3$\times$8.6$\mu$m in size. Perithecia were brown to black in color and shaped as globose to obpyriform and 72.6~284.7$\mu$m in size. Asci were clavate to cylindrical in shape and 63.6~98.8$\times$8.3~12.5$\mu$m in size. Ascospores were cylindrical. fusiform, slightly curved at the center and 9.6~21.8$\times$4.0~6.0$\mu$m in size. Optimum temperature fur growth was 3$0^{\circ}C$. On the basis of mycological characteristics and pathogenecity test on host plants, the fungus was identified as Glomerella cingulata . This is the first report on the Anthracnose of achyranthes caused by Glomerella cingulata in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.40-43
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• 2003

Symptoms similar to anthracnose were observed on Amaranthus mangostanus in Sancheon-gun, Gyeongnam province, where the plants were autogenously formed community. The symptoms were appeared in stem and spread, eventually whole plants died. Mycelial colony of the isolate was whitish gray to dark gray on potato dextrose agar. Conidia were single celled, colorless, cylindrical and measured as $10.5{\sim}21.7{\times}3.8{\sim}6.0{\mu}m$. Appressoria were dark brown, ovate to obovate and sized as $5.6{\sim}13.7{\times}4.6{\sim}11.4{\mu}m$. Perithecia were brown to black in color and shaped as globose to obpyriform and sized as $79.7{\sim}286.7{\mu}m$. Asci had eight ascospores and sized as $47.7{\sim}89.7{\times}8.1{\sim}13.3{\mu}m$. Ascospores were slightly curved at the center cylindrical, fusiform and measured $9.3{\sim}20.3{\times}4.6{\sim}6.3{\mu}m$. Optimum temperature for growth was $30^{\circ}C$. On the basis of morphological characteristics and pathogenicity test to host plants, the fungus was identified as Glomerella cingulata. This is the first report on the Anthracnose of Amaranthus mangostanus caused by Glomerella cingulata in Korea.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.5_6
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• pp.19-26
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• 1968

Results obtained from the observation of 1,000 matured resting conidia of Pyricularia oryzae CAV. were as fellows. The percentage of a condium conitaining was 95.5, while that of a multinucleate conidium was 4.5. Formation of the three-celled mature conidium containing a nucleus in each cell, which was derived from the immatured conidium, could be recognized. Chromosomes could be observed in the conidium when the nuclear division took place. The number of chromosomes was n=3, 4, 5 or 6 but rile majority was 5. The nucleus was moved into the germ-tube from the conidium by following ways: (a) a resting nucleus divided into two nuclei in the conidium and one of them was moved into the germ-tube. The other nucleus remained in the conidium (43 per cent): (b) a nucleus was moved into the germ-tube from the conidium without nuclear division (57 Per cent). The appressorium without a nucleus was abundantly observed when stain was made. However, tile number of a mononucleate appressorium was 476 out of 500 appressoria which had nuclear sap. On the ground of this experiment, we could support the conidium of blast fungus contained mononucleus and also homokaryon seemed to b: appealed on the conidia even though those were multilocular. As the results, it could be concluded that use of inoculum derived from single spore isolate was reasonable for any experiments in the rice blast fungus.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.133-138
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• 2012

In November 2009, a powdery mildew on glossy abelia (Abelia ${\times}$ grandiflora) was found in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, Korea. Further survey in the southern part of Korea, e.g., Jeju, Busan, and Tongyeong confirmed occurrence of the disease. White colonies were present on leaves, young stems, and flowers, detracting from their beauty in landscape plantings. Severely infected lesions were discolored to red-purplish. Based on the morphological characteristics and analysis of rDNA, the fungus associated with the symptoms was identified as Erysiphe abeliicola U. Braun & S. Takam. This work provides the morphological feature of its anamorph for the first time, which is characterized by having multi-lobed hyphal appressoria and short foot-cells of conidiophores. Morphological characteristics of mature chasmothecia were consistent with the previous Japanese record of this species. The sequence of internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA obtained from a Korean sample showed that this species places in the section Microsphaera of the genus Erysiphe in phylogenetic position, corresponding with the classical taxonomy. This is the first report of E. abeliicola and its host plant in Korea. The host plant A. ${\times}$ grandiflora is newly listed in the host range of E. abeliicola.