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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #67365
Title: AN ENDOPHYTE OF ACHNATHERUM INEBRIANS, AN INTOXICATING GRASS OF NORTHWEST CHINA

Author
item BRUEHL, GEORGE - WSU
item Kaiser Jr, Walter
item KLEIN, ROBERT - WSU

Submitted to: Mycologia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/4/1994
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: A seedborne Acremonium endophyte was isolated from 100% of the seeds of one accession of Achnatherum inebrians collected in Xinjiang Province of Northwestern China. The grass has toxic effects on animals, particularly, horses, which eat grass infected with the endophyte. This is the first report of an Acremonium sp. from A. inebrians. Serology was used to demonstrate the relatedness of the fungus from A. inebrians to Acremonium spp. from other grasses.

Technical Abstract: A very slow-growing, nonsporulating, seedborne endophyte of Achnatherum (Stipa) inebrians, a range grass of northwestern China and Mongolia, is probably the cause of the intoxicating effect of this grass upon large grazing animals. It is serologically related to endophytic Acremonium spp., three choke-causing Ephicloe species, and to Claviceps purpurea, establishing it as a clavicipitaceous fungus.