Effect of increased CO2 concentration and temperature on the phyllosphere mycoflora of winter wheat flag leaves during ripening

The impact of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂, 600/700 μmol mol^-1) and temperature (+ 4°C) on phyllosphere fungi colonising flag leaves of mini crops of winter wheat cv. Mercia between anthesis and harvest was determined in a computer-controlled environment facility in 1993 and 1994. In both years the total fungal populations (cm² leaf) were found to have increased due to exposure to either elevated CO₂ and elevated CO₂+ temperature treatments. This was mainly due to significant increases in populations of Cladosporium spp. (C. cladosporioides and C. herbarum) on the flag leaves during ripening. Other phyllosphere component species such as white and pink yeasts were not markedly affected by treatments. The range of fungal species found in such controlled environment chambers was narrower than that commonly found on flag leaves of field grown crops. Common and important colonisers of leaves and ripening ears such as Aureobasidium pullulans, Epicoccum nigrum and Fusarium spp. were seldom isolated.     

Ammonia fungi of iriomote Island in the southern Ryukyus,Japan and a new ammonia fungus,Hebeloma luchuense

Species composition and fruiting season of ammonia fungi were investigated in Iriomote Island of the southern Ryukyus, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.Castanopsis andPinus forests were surveyed and 10 species of ammonia fungi were collected, including one new agaric species,Hebeloma luchuense sp. nov. This new fungus is characterized by having a rooting, squamulose-scaly stipe and cortinate veil and forms ectomycorrhizae withCastanopsis cuspidata var.sieboldii. Although the general mushroom season in theCastanopsis forest in Iriomote island was very short and restricted to summer, ammonia fungi were observed to fruit throughout the year in urea-treated plots.     

捕食真菌及其相关丝孢菌中国的新记录

本文报道了来自我国云南及长白山地区的捕食真菌及其相关丝孢菌的8个新记录种,即纺锤孢指隔孢(Dactylella atractoides),狭长孢指隔孢(D. stenomeces)、顶毛孢单顶孢(Monacrosporium acrochaeturn),泡环单顶孢(M. aphrobrochum),异孢单顶孢(M. heterobrochum),瘤捕单顶孢(M. phymatopagum),三叉霉(Tridentaria sp.)及龟头轮枝孢(Verticillium balanoides).     

刺孢小克银汉霉原变种和轮生刺孢小克银汉霉变种(新组合)

刺孢小克银汉霉[Cunninghamella echinulata(Thaxt.) Thaxt. ex Blakeslce]是小克银汉霉属的模式种,多年来因不同作者是否将贝尼尔小克银汉霉(C. bainieri Naum.)包含在内而对此种持广义(sensu lato)或狭义(scnsu stricto)的不同理解。我们在国内分离到51株刺孢小克银汉霉(广义)菌种,经与获自css的7株菌(包括刺孢小克银汉霉的模式菌种在内)和IMI的1株菌(原定名称均为刺孢小克银汉霉)一起研究后,根据它们的无性型形态特征有明显不同但在配合试验中又可互相配合形成可育的接合孢子的结果,认为将它们处理为同一个种的两个不同变种较为合理.其中,13株中国的菌和3株CBS及IMI的菌被鉴定为刺孢小克银汉霉原变种(C. echinulata var. echinulata);其余的38株中国的菌和5株CBS的菌被鉴定为轮生刺孢小克银汉霉变种(新组合)[C. echinulata var. verticillata (F. S. Paine.) comb. nov.j.以‘轮生(verticillata)’作为新组合变种的加词是根据与贝尼尔小克银汉霉同物异名的‘轮生布拉小克银汉霉(C. blakesleeana var. verticillata (F. S. Paine) Baijal & B. S. Mchrotra)’而来的.在前人的工作中,对刺孢小克银汉霉持狭义理解的作者往往根据孢子枝的分枝方式、巨型暗色孢子的有无、以及40℃能否生长来区分这两个分类群.对刺孢小克银汉霉持广义理解的作者则认为这些特性毫无意义.我们同意后面两个特性意义不大,因为二者的许多菌系都能形成巨型暗色袍子并在40℃生长,但认为孢子枝分枝方式确实是区别这两个分类群的重要依据.此外,根据产孢构造的种类、孢子枝主枝的直径、孢子枝第一次分枝的数目、分枝长度、孢子枝主枝的顶生泡囊形状以及其直径等性状综合考虑,这两个分类群是不难明确区分的,对12株刺孢小克银汉霉原变种和13株轮生刺孢小克银汉霉相互之间所进行的配合试验结果表明,在具一定性亲和力的(+)、(一)菌系同时存在时,两个变种内和变种之间均可形成可育的接合孢子。对上述三种配合的各六对菌所形成的有性型形态的研究结果则表明,除轮生刺孢小克银汉霉变种内形成的接合孢子的壁往往较厚外,各种配合形成的有性型形态基本上是一致的.我们研究组的其他成员最近曾对小克银汉霉的22株菌进行了rDNA的ITS区的PCR产物长度测定,其中包括了刺孢小克银汉霉原变种和轮生刺孢小克银汉霉变种的各3株菌,它们的平均长度(bp)分别为890±7.5和915±7.6.这个结果也支持了我们在这两个分类群可以互相配合的情况下仍将它们作为两个不同变种的处理.这两个分类群虽然已被发表多次,但它们的描述和绘图均过于简单而未能充分显示出它们的区别性特征,因此我们在本文中再次作了描述并再次提供了详尽的线条图和显微照相.     

拟夏孢锈属（Uredinopsis）新记录种

采到骨状拟夏孢锈（Ｕｒｅｄｉｎｏｐｓｉｓ ｏｓｓｉｆｏｒｍｉｓ Ｋａｍｅｉ）为中国新记录种。     

Changes in organic matter composition of forest soil treated with a large amount of urea to promote ammonia fungi and the abilities of these fungi to decompose organic matter

Organic matter composition (lignin, holocellulose, 50% (v/v) methanol extract, water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and phenolics (WSP), petroleum ether extract, and ash) of A₀ layer soil treated with 700 g/m² of urea to promote ammonia fungi was investigated in a Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora) forest. Nine species of fungi were found during the study period of 18 months after the treatment. Of these, seven species belong to the ammonia fungi. WSC content of the treated soil was lower than that of the control. Methanol extract content increased initially after the treatment, then decreased to below the control level. There were no consistent differences in other components between the treated plot and the control. The abilities to decompose cellulose, lignin, chitin, protein and lipid in 18 strains in 10 species of the ammonia fungi were also screened. Cellulose was not lysed byPseudombrophila deerata, Hebeloma spp. andLaccaria bicolor. Strong lignolytic activity was shown byLyophyllum tylicolor, Coprinus echinosporus andP. deerata. Chitin was decomposed byAmblyosporium botrytis, L. tylicolor, C. echinosporus andHebeloma vinosophyllum. All strains possessed proteolytic and lipolytic activities. Supply of glucose to the culture media resulted in weaker enzyme activities except for lignolytic ability.     

Iturin A: A potential new fungicide for stored grains

The removal of many synthetic fungicides from the market has created a demand for new, environmentally safe fungicides. Iturin A, a cyclic lipopeptide produced byBacillus subtilis, has strong antifungal properties and low mammalian toxicity. To determine the efficacy of this compound as a potential fungicide on stored feed grains, lots of corn, peanuts and cottonseed were treated with varying concentrations of iturin A. The mycoflora of treated seed was assayed along with that of untreated seed and seed treated with fungicides used commercially for planting seed. Fungal species varied considerably in their sensitivity to iturin A. Significant reductions in total mycoflora occurred in most seed lots tested at iturin A concentrations of 50 to 100 ppm.     

Insects and fungi on a C3 sedge and a C4 grass exposed to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations in open-top chambers in the field

The effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration on plant-fungi and plant-insect interactions were studied in an emergent marsh in the Chesapeake Bay. Stands of the C₃ sedge Scirpus olneyi Grey, and the C₄ grass Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl. have been exposed to elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations during each growing season since 1987. In August 1991 the severities of fungal infections and insect infestations were quantified. Shoot nitrogen concentration ([N]) and water content (WC) were determined. In elevated concentrations of atmospheric CO₂, 32% fewer S. olneyi plants were infested by insects, and there was a 37% reduction in the severity of a pathogenic fungal infection, compared with plants grown in ambient CO₂ concentrations. S. olneyi also had reduced [N], which correlated positively with the severities of fungal infections and insect infestations. Conversely, S. patens had increased WC but unchanged [N] in elevated concentrations of atmospheric CO₂ and the severity of fungal infection increased. Elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration increased or decreased the severity of fungal infection depending on at least two interacting factors, [N] and WC; but it did not change the number of plants that were infected with fungi. In contrast, the major results for insects were that the number of plants infected with insects decreased, and that the amount of tissue that each insect ate also decreased.     

A putative catabolite-repressed cell wall protein from the mycoparasitic fungus Trichoderma harzianum

A cDNA clone encoding a putative cell wall protein (Qid3) was isolated from a library prepared from chitin-induced mRNA in cultures of the mycoparasitic fungus Trichoderma harzianum. The predicted 14 kDa protein shows a potential signal peptide, several hydrophobic domains and certain motifs that are structurally similar to proline-rich and glycine-rich plant cell wall proteins. Expression of the qid3 gene is derepressed in the absence of glucose. When introduced in yeast, qid3 expression causes cell division arrest into cytokinesis and cell separation, probably due to its cell wall localization.