What are the 100 most cited fungal genera?

Authors: Salgado-Salazar, Catalina; ROTHMANN, LISA - University Of The Free State

Submitted to: Studies in Mycology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/17/2024
Publication Date: 7/15/2024
Citation: Salgado-Salazar, C., Rothmann, L. ,Bhunjun C.S., Chen Y.J., Phukhamsakda C., Boekhout T., Groenewald J.Z., McKenzie E.H.C., Francisco E.C., Frisvad J.C., Groenewald M., Hurdeal V.G., Luangsa-Ard J., Perrone G., Visagie C.M., Bai F.Y., Blaszkowski J., Braun U., de Souza F.A., de Queiroz M.B., Dutta A.K., Gonkhom D., Goto B.T., Guarnaccia V., Hagen F., Houbraken J., Lachance M.A., Li J.J., Luo K.Y., Magurno F., Mongkolsamrit S., Robert V., Roy N., Tibpromma S., Wanasinghe D.N., Wang D.Q., Wei D.P., Zhao C.L., Aiphuk W., Ajayi-Oyetunde O., Arantes T.D., Araujo J.C., Begerow D., Bakhshi M., Barbosa R.N., Behrens F.H., Bensch K., Bezerra J.D.P., Bilanski P., Bradley C.A., Bubner B., Burgess T.I., Buyck B., Cadež N., Cai L., Calaça F.J.S., Campbell L.J., Chaverri P., Chen Y.Y., Chethana K.W.T., Coetzee B., Costa M.M., Chen Q., Custódio F.A., Dai Y.C., Damm U., Santiago A.L.C.M.A., De Miccolis Angelini R.M., Dijksterhuis J., Dissanayake A.J., Doilom M., Dong W., Álvarez-Duarte E., Fischer M., Gajanayake A.J., Gené J., Gomdola D., Gomes A.A.M., Hausner G., He M.Q., Hou L., Iturrieta-González I., Jami F., Jankowiak R., Jayawardena R.S., Kandemir H., Kiss L., Kobmoo N., Kowalski T., Landi L., Lin C.G., Liu J.K., Liu X.B., Loizides M., Luangharn T., Maharachchikumbura S.S.N., Mkhwanazi G.J.M., Manawasinghe I.S., Marin-Felix Y., McTaggart A.R., Moreau P.A.. 2024. What are the 100 most cited fungal genera? Studies in Mycology. 108(1):1-412. https://doi.org/10.3114/sim.2024.108.01.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3114/sim.2024.108.01

Interpretive Summary: The genus Sclerotinia is one of the 100 most cited genera of fungi in the world. Despite the importance of species in Sclerotinia as devastating plant pathogens, few studies on its classification are available. Although, there are 122 currently accepted Sclerotinia names, it has been universally accepted that Sclerotinia sensu stricto contains only three valid species, namely Sclerotinia minor, S. sclerotiorum, and S. trifoliorum. The main goal of this work is to provide a brief but detailed overview of the genus Sclerotinia, including fundamentals about life cycle, disease management, taxonomy, genetic diversity and current research interests.

Technical Abstract: Sclerotinia (Sclerotiniaceae) is a genus of plant pathogenic hyphomycetes with more than 200 species epithets listed in Index Fungorum (http://indexfungorum.org). Sclerotinia was introduced by Fuckel (1870), based on the type species S. libertiana found on Sclerotium compactum in Germany. Despite the importance of species in Sclerotinia as devastating plant pathogens, few studies on taxonomy are available besides the early monographic works on the Sclerotinaceae. Although, there are 122 currently accepted Sclerotinia names, it has been universally accepted that Sclerotinia sensu stricto contains three valid species only: Sclerotinia minor, S. sclerotiorum, and S. trifoliorum as the vast majority of Sclerotinia diseases are caused by these three species. Sclerotinia asari and S. nivalis were later found as members of Sclerotinia based on DNA analyses. The genetic variability of Sclerotinia populations have been reported to be clonal and reports vary depending on the specific host plant, the origin of the isolate, climatic zones, and continuous availability of host crops. Due to the lack of contemporary studies on the taxonomy and classification of species in Sclerotinia, our understanding of species diversity and genetic relationships in this group remains obscure. This review of the genus attempts to clarify and summarize existing knowledge of this important plant pathogenic genus.