Botrytis caroliniana, a new species isolated from blackberry in South Carolina

Mycologia. 2012 May-Jun;104(3):650-8. doi: 10.3852/11-218. Epub 2012 Feb 7.

Abstract

Blackberry fruits symptomatic for gray mold were collected from three commercial blackberry fields in northwestern South Carolina. Single-spore isolates were generated and two distinct phenotypes were discovered in each location; one sporulated on PDA and one did not. One isolate of each phenotype and location (six isolates total) were selected for in depth molecular and morphological characterization. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), heat-shock protein 60 (HSP60) and DNA-dependent RNA polymerase subunit II (RPB2) coding sequence alignment revealed Botrytis cinerea as the sporulating phenotype and a new yet undescribed species as the non-sporulating phenotype. The new Botrytis sp., described herein as Botrytis caroliniana, was most closely related genetically to B. fabiopsis and B. galanthina, the causal agents of gray mold disease of broad bean and snowdrop, respectively. It produces smaller conidia than either B. fabiopsis or B. galanthina, and sequence analysis of genes encoding necrosis and ethylene-inducing proteins (NEPs) also indicated that the Botrytis isolates represent a separate and distinct species. The new species is pathogenic on blackberry fruits and broad bean leaves, which distinguishes it further from B. galanthina. The new species formed white to pale gray colonies with short, tufted aerial mycelium and produced black sclerotia on PDA at 20 C. To our knowledge this is only the third Botrytis species discovered to cause disease on blackberry in the United States.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Botrytis / cytology
  • Botrytis / genetics
  • Botrytis / isolation & purification*
  • Botrytis / pathogenicity
  • Chaperonin 60 / genetics
  • DNA, Fungal / chemistry
  • DNA, Fungal / genetics
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / genetics
  • Fruit / microbiology*
  • Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases / genetics
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phenotype
  • Phylogeny
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology*
  • Plant Leaves / microbiology
  • Rosaceae / microbiology*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • South Carolina
  • Spores, Fungal / growth & development
  • Spores, Fungal / isolation & purification
  • Vicia faba / microbiology
  • Virulence

Substances

  • Chaperonin 60
  • DNA, Fungal
  • Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases

Associated data

  • GENBANK/JF777531
  • GENBANK/JF777532
  • GENBANK/JF777533
  • GENBANK/JF811593
  • GENBANK/JF811594
  • GENBANK/JF811595