Endophytic fungi are an intriguing group of host-associated microorganisms that enhance plant growth and fitness by producing bioactive secondary metabolites. These fungi serve as valuable sources of industrial enzymes for secondary metabolite synthesis, benefiting green agriculture, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals. Despite the economic and ecological significance of the Itea genus—known for its rare sugar content—its associated endophytic fungi remain undocumented. This study isolated and characterized 11 strains of endophytic fungi, primarily identified as pestalotioid taxa, from the leaves, stems, and roots of Itea japonica and I. riparia in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. Using morphological analysis, multiloci phylogeny (ITS, tub2, tef1-α), and nucleotide polymorphism studies, researchers proposed Neopestalotiopsis iteae and Pseudopestalotiopsis iteae as new species inhabiting I. japonica and I. riparia, respectively. Additionally, Neopestalotiopsis chrysea, N. haikouensis, and Pestalotiopsis jinchanghensis were identified as new records on I. riparia.
Tag: morphology
Size matters: exploring sexual size dimorphism and mandible length in stag beetles across tree-size gradients in central Italy
Sexual size dimorphism (SSD), the difference in body size between males and females, is shaped by sexual and natural selection and often varies across populations due to environmental factors. We investigated SSD in the European stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) across three adjacent oak-forested landscapes in northern Latium, Italy. The three forest sites differ in their size, tree maturity, and landscape composition: Macchia Grande di Manziana (MANZ) is a mature, well-preserved forest with large oak-dominated trees; Montevirginio (MONT) is a mosaic of younger coppice forests and oak tree hedgerows due to periodic cutting; and Oriolo Romano (ORIO) consists of small hedgerows along rural paths, with a landscape similar to MONT but with less forested coverage. We assessed elytra and mandible length differences between sexes, interannual variability, and determined whether these variables correlated with tree size. Males consistently had longer elytra than females, with the degree of SSD varying significantly among the sites and years. The largest SSD was observed in MANZ while more moderate SSD occurred in MONT and ORIO. Male mandible length, a key sexually selected trait, was significantly larger in MANZ, with a strong positive correlation with tree size. Male elytra was also related to tree size. These findings highlight the influence of habitat quality, particularly tree size, in shaping SSD and sexually selected traits. Larger trees likely provide better larval habitats, fostering better growth. This study underscores the critical importance of conserving mature forests with larger trees to maintain stag beetle populations and preserve their natural morphological diversity. Future research should investigate additional ecological and genetic factors affecting SSD variation.
Identification of endophytic fungi from leaves of Pandanaceae based on their morphotypes and DNA sequence data from southern Thailand
Docynia indica superior genotypes selection and their evaluation in clone trials in Northwest Vietnam
Cartosat-1 Image Segmentation Technique for Shade Tree Crown Density in Tea Gardens of East India in Relation to Terrain Geometry
Taxonomic and phylogenetic characterizations reveal two new species and two new records of Roussoella (Roussoellaceae, Pleosporales) from Yunnan, China
Roussoella species mainly occur on monocotyledons, especially bamboo, and are characterized by raised, immersed ascostromata, cylindrical to clavate asci and ellipsoidal to fusiform, brown to dark brown, 1-septate, ornamented ascospores. They have cytospora-like asexual morphs with enteroblastic conidiogenous cells and hyaline to dark brown conidia, which are often minutely warty. In this article, two new species and two new records of Roussoella associated with dead bamboo, collected from Yunnan Province of China, are described and illustrated. These four taxa are similar in morphological characteristics, but can be distinguished by phylogenetic analyses of the concatenated ITS, LSU, TEF1-α, and RPB2 sequence data. Based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses of the combined sequence dataset, we introduce Roussoella kunmingensis and R. yunnanensis spp. nov. Roussoella mukdahanensis is provided here as the first record on bamboo from China. The asexual morph of R. pseudohysterioides is illustrated and described on dead bamboo culms.
Characterization of African eggplant accessions for morphological and yield parameters in the bimodal rainfall agroecology of Cameroon
Despite its good nutritional value, African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L.) has been overlooked by formal crop improvement programs. Diverse genetic material to initiate plant breeding in African eggplant is available but lacks characterization and trait evaluation. This study aims to characterize phenotypic variation in accessions of African eggplant and two related species (S. anguivi Lam. and S. macrocarpon L.), and assess their yield potential. Forty accessions were grown following a randomized complete block design. Data on 23 vegetative, inflorescence and fruit characters were collected using standard descriptors. Incidence of several insect pests and diseases also was rated. A cluster dendrogram divided the 40 accessions into four distinct taxonomic groups corresponding to S. aethiopicum Gilo Group, S. anguivi, S. aethiopicum Schum Group and S. aethiopicum Kumba Group. These groups differed in leaf size, number of days to flowering, fruit shape and size, and number of fruits per infructescence. The structure of the dendrogram did not reveal any relationship with the geographic distance between the origins of the accessions. The accessions differed significantly (PKLEINERDAN0.05) for all the parameters that were measured. Results indicated that accessions N13, Tengeru white, OAA, Ex-Ivory Coast, Oforiwa, AB2, Small oval, Heart shape and DB3 are candidates for future improvement of African eggplant in CameroonRSQUOs bimodal rainfall agroecology.
Epitypification of Broomella vitalbae and Introduction of a Novel Species of Hyalotiella
Broomella and Hyalotiella are poorly known genera in Amphisphaeriaceae . Both genera are known from morphological descriptions, but lack molecular data, thus their generic placement and relationships with other genera are unclear. Three collections of Amphisphaeriaceae were made from dead twigs of Clematis in Italy, and two from Spartium species and were identified as Broomella and Hyalotiella species. In order to obtain a phylogenetic understanding of Broomella and Hyalotiella within the family Amphisphaeriaceae , we carried out a phylogenetic analysis based on LSU gene data. Results show that these five isolates represent two distinct genera. Based on both morphological and phylogenetic data, the three isolates form Clematis are shown to be conspecific with Broomella vitalbae . In this paper we designated an epitype with a sexual and asexual morph for B. vitalbae to stabilize the understanding of the genus. The two strains from Spartium fit within the generic concepts of Hyalotiella , but sequence data for Hyalotiella species are presently lacking. Hyalotiella spartii sp. nov. is introduced based on its host association and morphological characters.
Phenotypic variation in fruit and seed morphology of Adansonia digitata L. (baobab) in five selected wild populations in Malawi
Adansonia digitata L. (Baobab) is widely distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa stretching from Senegal to Sudan, and from Ethiopia to Natal. Information of phenotypic and genetic variation is a prerequisite for the domestication and improvement of baobab fruits from the wild. A study was done to determine within and between provenance variability in fruit and seed characteristics of five populations selected from four silvicultural zones and assess whether morphometric traits could delineate populations from different zones into land races. Fruits were characterized from 55 trees representing a wide geographical range. Six fruit traits and three individual seed traits were assessed. Results showed highly significant differences (P 0.001) in fruit, pulp, and seed weight, fruit length and width, number of seed, individual seed weight, seed length and width within and between populations. Mean fruit weight ranged from 125.8 ± 3.25 to 162.9 ± 3.25 g, seed weight ranged from 38.6 ± 2.5 to 66 ± 2.01 g and pulp weight ranged from 28.7 ± 1.33 to 41.4 ± 1.33 g. Single seed weight showed pronounced evidence of divergence of populations into ecotypes. The rich diversity found between and within populations is important for domestication purposes and tree improvement through selection and breeding. All populations could be used for seed source but distribution should be consciously done recognizing existence of races.
Morphological characterization of Soursop (Annona muricata L.) germplasm in Sri Lanka
Annona muricata L. is an underutilized fruit tree species in Sri Lanka, which is mostly confined to homegardens. Despite the importance of A. muricata, collection, characterization and improvement of its germplasm is limited in Sri Lanka, hence hindered its effective conservation and utilization. Therefore, the objective of this research was to identify morphological variation of A. muricata populations in Sri Lanka. Multistage Sampling Survey was conducted in homegardens of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Hambantota dictricts in the Dry zone, Puttalama and Kurunagala districts in the AIntermediate zone, and Kalutara and Gampaha districts in the Wet zone. Random representative samples were also collected from existing germplasm collections at three national research centers. Morphological variation of A. muricata were observed on total of 315 samples collected from seven districts of three climatic zones and 133 samples collected from germplasm collections at three national research centers. Forty five morphological characters were recorded from 448 accesions and subjected to Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Factor Analysis (FA), followed by Cluster Analysis. A dendrogram of evaluated characters showed nine distinguished clusters. Implications of findings are discussed in relation to utilization and conservation.