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Title: FIRST REPORT OF RUST DISEASE CAUSED BY UROMYCES GALEGAE ON GALEGA OFFICINALIS IN TURKEY

Author
item TUNALI, B - TURKEY
item YILDIRIM, A - TURKEY
item Aime, Mary
item Hernandez, Jose

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/10/2006
Publication Date: 4/1/2006
Citation: Tunali, B., Yildirim, A., Aime, M.C., Hernandez, J. 2006. First report of rust disease caused by Uromyces galegae on Galega officinalis in Turkey. Plant Disease. 90:525.

Interpretive Summary: Rust fungi cause diseases on plants suggesting that rusts could be used as biological control agents for invasive weeds. Accurate knowledge about the distribution of rust fungi is important for discovering useful biological control agents. Galega officinalis, known as goat’s rue, is an invasive weed that is native to the western Asia and southern Europe but has spread and become invasive in North America. In this research a rust fungus that occurs on goat’s rue was newly discovered in Turkey. Although elsewhere in Europe, this rust has never before been reported from that country. The rust will be screened to determine its potential as a biological control agent. This research will be used by plant pathologists who are searching for biological agents to control the noxious weed goat’s rue.

Technical Abstract: Galega officinalis L. is an obnoxious invasive weed in the United States and a potential target of biological control efforts. The plant, a member of the legume family, is native to western Asia and southern Europe. In September of 2001 uredinial pustules were observed on leaves of G. officinalis L. in Kizilcahamam, Ankara. Specimens were examined microscopically and compared with published descriptions (1) and herbarium specimens in the US National Fungus Collections, Beltsville, MD. The fungus was subsequently identified as Uromyces galegae (Opiz) Sacc. based on morphological characteristics of the uredinia, urediniospores and teliospores. The following description is from the Turkish material: uredinia subcircular to oblong, hyphophyllous, rarely epiphyllous at petiole, 0.5-1 mm diam; urediniospores subovoid to subglobose, 17.5-20.0 x 19.5-22.5 µm (average = 18.0 x 20.0 µm); teliospores globose to ovoid, tuberculate, apex papilate, hyaline pedicile, brown, 17.5-22.5 x 22.5-27.5 µm (average = 20.3 x 24.5µm). Voucher specimens are deposited in the U.S. National Fungus Collections (BPI 860516); a nucleotide sequence spanning the ITS2 and 28S rDNA genes of this isolate was obtained (GenBank accession DQ ######). Uromyces galegae has been reported on Galega officinalis from Bulgaria and Greece and on another fabaceous host, Astragalus glycyphylloides in Greece (2); to our knowledge this is the first report of U. galegae in Turkey and marks the eastern-most record for its distribution.