• Mycobiology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.506-511
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• 2019

We investigated the antifungal activities of an endophytic fungus identified as Acaromyces ingoldii, found on a loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) pine bolt in Louisiana during routine laboratory microbial isolations. The specific objectives were to determine the inhibitory properties of A. ingoldii secondary metabolites (crude extract) on the mycelial growth of a brown-rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum and a white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor, and to determine the effective concentration of A. ingoldii crude preparation against the two decay fungi in vitro. Results show the crude preparation of A. ingoldii from liquid culture possesses significant mycelial growth inhibitory properties that are concentration dependent against the brownrot and white-rot fungi evaluated. An increase in the concentration of A. ingoldii secondary metabolites significantly decreased the mycelial growth of both wood decay fungi. G. trabeum was more sensitive to the inhibitory effect of the secondary metabolites than T. versicolor. Identification of specific A. ingoldii secondary metabolites, and analysis of their efficacy/specificity warrants further study. Findings from this work may provide the first indication of useful roles for Acaromyces species in a forest environment, and perhaps a future potential in the development of biocontrol-based wood preservation systems.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.354-356
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• 2001

In August 2001, pod rot of cowpea caused by Choanephora cucurbitarum was found in the experimental fields of the Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, Korea. Initial symptoms of the disease were the appearance of water-soaked, dark-green lesions and followed by rapid rotting of the infected tissues. As the disease progressed, whitish mycelia and monosporous sporangiophore with monosporous sporangiola were produced on the lesions. The fungus produced white to pale yellowish brown mycelia with scattered monosporous sporangiophore and monosporous sporangia containing sporangiospores on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Monosporous sporangiophore was long, slender and branched at the apex, with each branch bearing a sporangiospore. Sporangium was subglobose in shape and 42.6-112.6 ㎛ in size. Monosporous sporangiola were elliptic, fusiform or ovoid, brown in color, and 9.8-23.4$\times$7.2-12.8 ㎛ in size. Sporangiospores were elliptic, fusiform or ovoid in shape, dark brown or brown in color, 12.9-24.6$\times$8.6-15.4 ㎛ in size, and had three or more appendages. Zygospores were black and 43.6-72.4 ㎛ in size. The fungus grew on PDA at 15-40$\^{C}$, and optimum temperature was 30$\^{C}$. This is the first report on pod rot of cowpea caused by C. cucurbitarum in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.58-62
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• 2004

White root rot of wild white clover (Trifoliorum repens) caused by isolate BWC98-105 has been first reported in Korea. Typical symptoms on root include water-soaked and dark-brown rot, resulting in complete blight of the whole plant. The fungus grew well at $20-28^{\circ}C$ and produced abundant sclerotia at 10-15 days after full mycelial growth on potato dextrose agar. Sclerotia were brown to dark-brown in color and 1-3 mm in length. When white clover plants were inoculated with mycelial suspension ($10^5$ cfu/ml) of isolate BWC98-105, the plant shoots were killed within 4-6 days and the roots were completely blighted. Sclerotia were also formed on the surface of the root covered with whitish mycelia within 10-15 days in the field. All nine isolates developed high incidences of white root rot disease on white clover seedlings, of which the symptoms were similar to those observed in the fields. Hence, their pathogenicity was confirmed on white clover. The infection rate of the fungal isolates varied from 78.5% to 95.2%, among which BWC98-105 was the most virulent isolate. The weeding efficacy of the fungus was maintained until the following year, leading to a significant reduction of reshooting. The fungus was specifically parasitic to white clover, but not to four lawn species including zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica) under greenhouse test. The fungus also had no response to some Gramineae species including rice, but caused little damage to five species of Leguminosae.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.348-352
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• 1995

Severe gray mold neck rot of onion occurred in most farmers' fields in the southern part of Korea, and 20∼50% of onions were infected by the disease at Goheung, Chonnam, in 1994. Symptoms of the disease appeared on the lower leaves near the soil surface in late February. The symptoms initially appeared as yellowish blotch with compact gray mold on the surface of the infected leaves and developed to blast of the aboveground parts of onions. As brown to dark brown symptoms progressed around the necks of onion later, the bulbs were rotting gradually. Botrytis sp. repeatedly isolated from the lesions produced the typical symptom on the neck of healthy onion 7 days after wound inoculation of conidial suspension of the fungus. The fungus reisolated from the bulbs was identified as Botrytis allii Munn based on the morphological and cultural characteristics and pathogenicity. This is first report of a gray mold neck rot of onion in Korea.

• Mycobiology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.163-165
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• 2005

In April 2002 and 2003, soft rot on fruit of eggplant (Solanum melongena) caused by Choanephora cucurbitarum was observed in the experimental fields at Gyeongnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services in Korea. The disease began with water-soaking and dark-green lesions, and then the infected tissues were rapidly rotten. Sporangium was subglobose in shape and sized $40{\sim}130\;{\mu}m$. Monosporous sporangiola were elliptic, fusiform or ovoid, brown in color, and measured as $12{\sim}20\;{\times}\;6{\sim}14\;{\mu}m$. Sporangiospores having three or more appendages were elliptic, fusiform or ovoid in shape, dark brown or brown in color, and sized $14{\sim}20\;{\times}7{\sim}16\;{\mu}m$. The fungus grew well on potato dextrose agar between 15 and $40^{\circ}C$ and its optimum growth temperature was $30^{\circ}C$. Based on morphological characteristics, the causal fungus of the fruit soft rot of eggplant was identified as C. cucurbitarum. This is the first report on the soft rot of S. melongena caused by C. cucurbitarum in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.152-158
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• 2007

Micromorphological and chemical characteristics of living Castanea spp. and Tamarix spp. attacked by a brown-rot fungus were examined. Micromorphological features of brown-rotted hardwood species were similar to those observed in softwoods such as losses in birefringence under polarized microscopy, preferential degradation of $S_2$ layer and cracks in the $S_3$ layer. Thinning of the secondary cell wall in fibers was also observed, although it did not seem to be the main symptom. FT-IR analysis showed that bands assigned to cellulose and hemicelluloses decreased or disappeared, whereas the bands assigned to lignin increased. X-ray diffraction analysis exhibited the decrease of relative crystallinity, indicating that degradation of hardwood by a brown-rot fungus was in the advanced stages.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.131-133
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• 2001

A destructive collar rot disease was found on broad bean (Vicia faba) in several farmer's field located in Changseon-myon, Namhae-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do in 2001. The typical symptoms of the disease were stem rot, crown rot, wilt or blight. Upper parts of the infected stems were mostly blighted and white mycelial mats were spread over lesions and the sclerotia were formed on the stems near soil line. The infection rates of the disease in the surveyed area were ranged from 28.6 to 42.8%. The sclerotia of the fungus readily formed in artificial media such as PDA at $30^{\circ}C$ and its shape was globoid or irregular and size was $1.0{\sim}3.7{\times}1.0{\sim}2.8\;mm\;(av.\;1.0{\sim}2.3\;mm)$ and was brown or dark brown in color. The optimum temperature for growth of the fungus was about $30^{\circ}C$. The typical clamp connections were found in the hypha of the fungus grown on PDA. On the basis of mycological characteristics and pathogenecity test on host plants, the fungus was identified as Sclerotium rolfsii. This is the first report on the collar rot of broad bean caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.487-492
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• 2005

This study demonstrated that the brown rot basidiomycete Fomitopsis palustris was able to degrade crystalline cellulose (Avicel). This fungus could also produce the three major cellulases (exoglucanases, endoglucanases, and $\beta-glucosidase$) when the cells were grown on $2.0\%$ Avicel. Avicel degraded by F. palustris showed a decrease in relative crystallinity from $83\%\;to\;78.5\%$ after 14 days of incubation. The characterization study indicated that optimum pH was 4.5 and optimum temperature was $70^{\circ}C$ for exoglucanase (cellobiohydrolase) activity. Hydrolysis of Avicel by the crude enzyme from F. palustris yielded 1.6 mg/ml of glucose after 43 h, which corresponded to a cellulose conversion degree of $3.2\%$. Therefore, this study revealed for the first time that the brown rot basidiomycete F. palustris produces cellulases capable of yielding soluble sugars from crystalline cellulose.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.231-234
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• 2003

Brown rot symptoms severely occurred on fruits of apricot and mume grown in Changnyeong, Suwon and Yeongi in Korea during a disease survey in June 2002. A total of 32 isolates of Phomopsis sp. was obtained from the fruit rot symptoms. All isolates were identified as Phomopsis vexans based on their morphological and cultural characteristics. Four isolates of the fungus were tested for pathogenicity to fruits of apricot and mume by artificial inoculation. All isolates induced brown rot symptoms on the fruits of apricot and mume by wound inoculation. Unwounded inoculation also induced symptoms on mume fruits but not on apricot fruits. The symptoms on the fruits induced by artificial inoculation were similar to those observed in the orchard. The pathogenicity tests revealed that mume was more susceptible to the pathogen than apricot. This is the first report of brown rot of apricot and mume caused by P. vexans.

• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.138-146
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• 2018

Two-hundred and fifty-five strains of actinomycetes isolated from soil samples were screened for their antagonistic activities against four well-known wood decay fungi (WDF), including a brown rot fungus, Gloeophyllum trabeum and three white rot fungi Donkioporia expansa, Trametes versicolor, and Schizophyllum commune. A dual culture assay using culture media supplemented with heated or unheated culture filtrates of selected bacterial strains was used for the detection of their antimicrobial activity against four WDF. It was shown that Streptomyces atratus, S. tsukiyonensis, and Streptomyces sp. greatly inhibited the mycelial growth of the WDF tested compared with the control. To evaluate the biocontrol efficacy of S. atratus, S. tsukiyonensis, and Streptomyces sp., wood blocks of Pinus densiflora inoculated with three selected Streptomyces isolates were tested for weight loss, compression strength (perpendicular or parallel to the grain), bending strength, and chemical component changes. Of these three isolates used, Streptomyces sp. exhibited higher inhibitory activity against WDF, especially G. trabeum, as observed in mechanical and chemical change analyses. Scanning electron microscopy showed that cell walls of the wood block treated with Streptomyces strains were thicker and collapsed to a lesser extent than those of the non-treated control. Taken together, our findings indicate that Streptomyces sp. exhibits the potential to be used as a biocontrol agent for wood decay brown rot fungus that causes severe damage to coniferous woods.