• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.259-269
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• 2012

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), a family of serine/threonine protein phosphatases, plays an important role in balancing the phosphorylation status of cellular proteins for regulating diverse biological functions in eukaryotic organisms. Despite intensive studies in mammals, limited information on its role is available in filamentous fungi. Here, we investigated the functional roles of genes for a putative B' delta regulatory subunit (FgPP2AR) and a catalytic subunit (FgPP2AC) of PP2A in a filamentous ascomycete, Fusarium graminearum. Molecular characterization of an insertional mutant of this plant pathogenic fungus allowed us to identify the roles of FgPP2AR. Targeted gene replacement and complementation analyses demonstrated that the deletion of FgPP2AR, which was constitutively expressed in all growth stages, caused drastic changes in hyphal growth, conidia morphology/germination, gene expression for mycotoxin production, sexual development and pathogenicity. In particular, overproduction of aberrant cylindrical-shaped conidia is suggestive of arthroconidial induction in the ${\Delta}FgPP2AR$ strain, which has never been described in F. graminearum. In contrast, the ${\Delta}FgPP2AC$ strain was not significantly different from its wild-type progenitor in conidiation, trichothecene gene expression, and pathogenicity; however, it showed reduced hyphal growth and no perithecial formation. The double-deletion ${\Delta}FgPP2AR;{\Delta}FgPP2AC$ strain had more severe defects than single-deletion strains in all examined phenotypes. Taken together, our results indicate that both the putative regulatory and catalytic subunits of PP2A are involved in various cellular processes for fungal development in F. graminearum.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.89-91
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• 2005

In April of 2003 to 2004, the gray mold disease caused by Botrytis cinerea on Hypericum ascyron was occurred in the exhibition field of Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, at Hamyang-gun in Korea. The disease symptoms were started with water-soaking lesions in stem and the infected plants became withered, discolored and died. The conidia and mycelia of the pathogen appeared on stems of infected plants. The conidia were 1-celled and mostly ellipsoid or ovoid in shape and their color was light gray. The size of conidia was $4{\sim}16\;{\times}\;3{\sim}8\;{\mu}m$ and that of conidiophores was $12{\sim}26\;{\mu}m$ respectively. The pathogen formed sclerotia abundantly on potato-dextrose agar. The optimum temperature for sclerotial formation was $20^{\circ}C$. Pathogenicity of the causal organism was proved according to Koch's postulate. The causal organism was identified as Botrytis cinerea based on mycological characteristics. This is the first report on gray mold of H. ascyron caused by B. cinerea in Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.216-219
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• 2007

Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea occurred on Prunus mume Sieb. & Zucc. in an experimetal orchard of Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services in Korea from 2005 to 2007. The symptoms usually started with water-soaking lesions and hollow depression on the fruit surface. The conidia of the pathogen appeared on the surface fruits. The conidia were one celled and mostly ellipsoid or ovoid in shape and were colorless or pale brown in color. The conidia were $6{\sim}17{\times}4{\sim}10{\mu}m$ in size and conidiophores were $15{\sim}30{\mu}m$ in length. The sclerotial formed abundantly on potato-dextrose agar, They were flat or irregular in shape and black in color The optimum temperature for sclerotial formation was $20^{\circ}C$. On the basis of mycological characteristics and pathogenicity test on host plants, the fungus was identified as Botrytis cinerea Persoon: Fries. This is the first report on gray mold of P. mume caused by B. cinerea by in Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.224-227
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• 2002

From the necrotic stem of aquaculture Dracaena for living room decoration, we observed conidia on acervuli with occasional setae and perithecia in vivo. Morphological characters were; acervuli, dark brown and 300-500 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in diameter; conidia, hyaline, aseptate, cylindrical to slightly ellipsoid with rounded apex and narrow truncate base on phialidic conidiophores, 12.5-17.5 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$; setae, variable in length 1-4 septate, slightly swollen at the base and tapered to the apex, 200 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$; appressoria, dark brown ovate to obovate irregular 5-12.5 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, perithecia on decayed stem, globose, dark brown and black 85-300 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$; asci 8 spored, clavate to cylindrical; 50-62.5$\times$8-10 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$; ascospores, oval to fusiform, sometimes slightly curved, aseptate, hyaline. Above characteristics were also confirmed in vitro. Colletotrichum state of this fungus was also compared with C. lindemuthianum and C. musae in terms of morphology of conidia and setae and growth on PDA etc. This fungus was identified as Glomerella cingulata(Stonem.) Spaulding & Schrenk(Colletotrichum gloeosporioides(Penz. Sacc.).

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 2008

Strain Kan-23 was extracted from nematophagous fungi, which were isolated from the soil sample of oriental melon field. The strain exhibited the slow-growing characteristic forming conidia after prolonged incubation for 30 days. Morphological features of strain Kan-23 were observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM). It possesses erect conidiophores which contain $2{\sim}3$ side branches, with each branch producing $5{\sim}10$ conidia. The size of conidiophores were between $160{\sim}450\;{\mu}m$. Conidia were ellipsoidal with three septa[septum] in each conidium. Strain Kan-23 captured nematodes by means of giant constricting rings, which were observed in the glucose peptone agar medium. ITS region of rDNA sequence was analyzed. On the basis of the high sequence similarity of ITS region (99%), the Kan-23 strain was closely related to Drechslerella brochopaga (U51950). This is the first report on Drechslerella brochopaga as a nematophagous fungus in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.92-96
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• 2003

The study was conducted to determine the cultural conditions and the effect of inert fillers for melanization and sporulation abilities of sodium alginate pellets, and the weeding efficacy of the formula in the field. Melanin production of E. nematosporus was affected by striking frequency. Percentage of melanized beads was increased to 80.6% at higher rpm up to 180. The melanized pellets produced more conidia with abundant mucilage than unmelanized pellets. Shaker culture of Epicoccosorus nematosporus with sodium alginate yielded a total of 55 mg per 100 pellets. Percentage of melanized pellets was highest with 81.0% and 83.3% of melanization, when wheat bran and rice polish were amended and produced the conidia with 65.4 and 68.4 mg per 100 pellets, respectively. When 1 L of conidial suspension of 6.0$\times$$10^5$ conidia per ml was applied on 30-day-old plants in a plot, 74.5% of the plants were killed within 20 days, whereas, its melanized sodium alginate pellets killed 57.8% of the plants in the same period. The number of tuber formation of Eleocharis kuroguwai in the untreated control plots was 128.5 per plot, but those of the plots treated with conidial suspension and melanized pellets were 22.1 and 39.7, respectively, at the end of the season. Results of this study showed that melanization of mycelia-mixed sodium alginate are an important sporulation factor in E. namatosporus as a mycoherbicide.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.58-61
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• 2006

Ggray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea occurred on Balsam pear (Momordica charantia) at Daesan-myon, Changwon city, Gyeongnam province in Korea from 2004 to 2006. The disease symptoms usually started with water-soaking lesions on the fruits tip and stem, and then the infected plants became withered and eventually died. The conidia of the pathogen appeared on the surface of fruit and stem of infected plants. The conidia were one celled and mostly ellipsoid or ovoid in shape and were light gray in color, The conidia were $6{\sim}20X4{\sim}12{\mu}m$ in size and conidiophores were $14{\sim}30{\mu}m$ in length. The sclerotia formed abundantly on potato-dextrose agar 18 days after incubation. The optimum temperature for sclerotial formation was $20^{\circ}C$. Pathogenicity of the causal organism was proved according to Koch,s postulates. The causal organism was identified as Botrytis cinerea Persoon: Fries based on the mycological characteristics. This is the first report on gray mold of M. charantia caused by B. cinerea in Korea.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.578-582
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• 1998

In greenhouse studies, control efficacy of water chestnut (Eleocharis Kuroguwai) by Epicoccosorus nematosporus was affected by temperature and dew condition. The appressoria were formed abundantly in the range of 20~28$^{\circ}C$. When stem segments o(30 cm long) of the water chestnut were inoculated with the conidial suspension of E. nematorporus, the mean conidial number attacted amounted to 2,545 conidia. Out of 2545 conidia attacted to the stem pieces, 1,733 (68%) conidia formed appressoria. When these stem pieces were treated for 24 hr at 28$^{\circ}C$ under dew condition, 183,1 (7.2%) lesions were formed 10 days after incubation. The time necessary for the death of the plants was about 24 days. Appressoria were formed at 15~35$^{\circ}C$, but decreased rapidly in their numbers at the temperature lower than 1$0^{\circ}C$ or at 35$^{\circ}C$. The appressoria formation seemed to be depended on the dew duration, which was effective to the lesion formation and plant mortality. Under dew duration of 16~24 hr with temperature range of $25^{\circ}C$ to 3$0^{\circ}C$, the weed control was increased up to 93.9%. There were no differences between the first and second or third dew treatments. A delay of 2 or 3 days in dew treatment did not increase the mortality of plants. For the use of E. nematosporus as a mycoherbicide of water chestnut, a conidial suspension should be applied when dew conditions are kept for 12 hr after inoculation.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.120-126
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• 1993

Morphological characteristics in the anamorphic states were described in three species of powdery mildew fungi, Microsphaera akebiae, M. picrasmae and M. schizandrae, which were parasitic on Akebia quinata, Picrasma quassioides, and Schizandra chinensis, respectively. All species were flexuous in foot-cells of conidiophores, producing conidia singly on conidiophores, devoid of fibrosin bodies in conidia, and producing germ tubes on the end of conidia.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.256-258
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• 2011

This study was conducted to investigate agents inducing conidial germination of an entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana KK5. Different chemicals including carbohydrates were mixed with conidia of B. bassiana and incubated on water agar for 12 hours. Fructose, mannose and skim milk were useful for spore germination compared to other chemicals. Bioassays against green peach aphids were conducted with the fungal conidia suspended in 1% fructose, mannose and skim milk. Of them, a mixture of skim milk plus conidia of B. bassiana KK5 showed the highest mortalities against $3^{rd}$ instar of green peach aphid.