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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Cereal Disease Lab » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #365419
Research Project: Cereal Rust: Pathogen Biology and Host Resistance

Location: Cereal Disease Lab

Title: Crown rust fungi with short lifecycles – the Puccinia mesnieriana species complex

Author
item HAMBLETON, SARAH - Aafc Lethrdge Research Center
item LIU, MIAO - Aafc Lethrdge Research Center
item EGGERSTON, QUINN - Aafc Lethrdge Research Center
item WILSON, SYLVIA - Aafc Lethrdge Research Center
item CAREY, JULIE - Aafc Lethrdge Research Center
item ANISKTER, YEHOSHUA - Tel Aviv University
item Kolmer, James

Submitted to: Sydowia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/18/2019
Publication Date: 6/6/2019
Citation: Hambleton, S., Liu, M., Eggerston, Q., Wilson, S., Carey, J., Aniskter, Y., Kolmer, J.A. 2019. Crown rust fungi with short lifecycles – the Puccinia mesnieriana species complex. Sydowia. 71:47-63.

Interpretive Summary: The rust fungus Puccinia mesnieriana produces spores on the the common buckthorn plants, that is also a host for the crown rust fungus, Puccinia coronata, which is an important pathogen of oat. The shape and structure of the P. mesnieriana spores and analysis of DNA sequence indicated that P. mesnieriana is actually a form of P. coronata. The rust fungi that are found on buckthorn are highly related to the rust fungus that also attacks oat plants.

Technical Abstract: The short lifecycle rust species Puccinia mesnieriana produces telia and teliospores on buckthorns (Rhamnus spp.) that are similar to those produced by the crown rust fungi (Puccinia Series Coronata) on oats and grasses. The morphological similarity of these fungi led to hypotheses of their close relationship as correlated species. Phylogenetic analyses based on ITS2 and partial 28S nrDNA regions and the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) revealed that P. mesnieriana was a species complex comprising four lineages within P. Series Coronata. Each lineage was recognized as a distinct species with differentiating morphological characteristics, host associations and geographic distribution. Puccinia mesnieriana was restricted to a single specimen from Portugal, which was morphologically similar to and shared the same provenance as the type specimen of the species, but was not sequenced. Puccinia pseudomesnieriana sp nov., included all other specimens sampled from the Mediterranean region and was closely related to P. coronati-brevispora and P. coronati-longispora. Specimens from California USA formed a monophyletic group comprising two well-supported lineages recognized as P. digitata, long considered a synonym of P. mesnieriana, and P. pseudodigitata sp nov. Descriptions, illustrations and a tabular key are provided for these four microcyclic rust pathogens of Rhamnus.