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Title: HYPOCREA LIXII, THE TELEOMORPH OF TRICHODERMA HARZIANUM

Author
item CHAVERRI, P. - PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV
item Samuels, Gary

Submitted to: Mycology Progress
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/17/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Fungi in the genus Hypocrea, often as their Trichoderma asexual states, are useful in the biological control of plant diseases. One species, Trichoderma harzianum, is particularly effective as well as having potential for enhancement of plant growth and resistance to plant pathogens. Species of Trichoderma reproduce without undergoing genetic recombination and therefore are not very different in their ability to control diseases. Development of improved strains of biocontrol fungi is hindered by the lack of a sexual state of T. harzianum. In this research, a species of Hypocrea was collected that is the sexual state of Trichoderma harzianum, the commonly used biocontrol fungus. In this paper, this sexual species, Hypocrea lixii, is described and illustrated. Plant pathologists who are working to develop more effective strategies that can be used in the biological control of plant diseases will use this work.

Technical Abstract: Cultures derived from ascospores of Hypocrea lixii (= H. nigricans, H. lentiformis) produced the morphological species Trichoderma harzianum in pure culture. Trichoderma harzianum, the most commonly found species of the genus, is also one of the most important species frequently used in biocontrol of plant pathogens. It has not been connected previously to a teleomorph. The connection was confirmed by DNA sequence analysis. Similar to the anamorph, the teleomorph collections have a wide geographic distribution. Described in the 19th century, Hypocrea lixii is epitypified by a collection from Thailand.