Ampelomyces Research Articles

Evaluation of Different Treatments on the Management of Black Gram Powdery Mildew Disease Caused by Erysiphe Polygoni (De Candolle)

Black gram (Vigna mungo L.), is one of the most important short duration pulse crops grown in India. Powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe polygoni is a major destructive disease causing drastic economic yield loss upto 50 per cent. In this present study to evaluation of different treatments on the management of powdery mildew on Black gram. Among five mangrove species tested, the leaf extract of Rhiphora apiculata out performed well recording maximum inhibition of conidial germination. In case of fungicides, Azoxystrobin @ 0.1% significantly reduced the conidial germination. The bio-agent Ampelomyces quisqualis was found to be effective at 0.5 per cent concentration against the pathogen. The susceptible variety ADT-3 was raised in both pot and field for management practices. The treatment involving combination of bio-agent and botanical i.e., foliar spraying of A. quisqualis @ 0.5% on 43 DAS AND 53 DAS + foliar spraying of R. apiculata @ 15% on 43 DAS+ 53 DAS recorded minimum per cent disease index in both pot (18.94 %) and field trial (14.50%). The synergistic effect of A. quisqualis and R. apiculata significantly reduces the disease incidence and considerably improve the biometric of blackgram in both pot and field trials are approximately equal to fungicide application.

EDAX - SEM studies for the characterization of Ampelomyces quisqualis in Black gram against Erysiphe polygoni

EDAX - SEM studies for the characterization of Ampelomyces quisqualis in Black gram against Erysiphe polygoni

Epidemiology and control of strawberry powdery mildew: a review

Strawberry powdery mildew, caused by Podosphaera aphanis, is an economically important disease for strawberry production. Typical symptoms are white mycelium on all aerial parts of affected plants, with young host tissues being the most susceptible. The pathogen overwinters on infected leaves, either as mycelium or chasmothecia, although the quantitative role of chasmothecia in epidemics are not fully understood. In spring, under favourable conditions, the fungus sporulates, disseminating conidia and causing polycyclic infections. The disease is mainly controlled using synthetic fungicides, but there is increasing interest in sustainable alternatives, including microbial biocontrol agents (e.g., Ampelomyces quisqualis, Bacillus spp., Trichoderma spp.) and substances of plant or animal origin (e.g., Equisetum arvense, orange oil, chitosan, whey). Physical methods, (e.g. UV-C, ozone) are also promising alternatives to fungicides. All of these strategies should be combined with appropriate agronomic practices (e.g., overhead irrigation, canopy management) to create unfavourable environments for the pathogen. However, agronomic practices have never been assessed for P. aphanis. Disease forecasting models and DSSs, though available, are underutilized due to their complexity and lack of validation across locations. This review presents the current state of knowledge on P. aphanis the available methods for control of strawberry powdery mildew, and highlights knowledge gaps relating to this host/pathogen relationship.

Fungicolous fungi on microscopic fungi parasitic to the vegetation of the urban environment

The research aimed to study the extent of fungicolous fungi prevalence on the thallus of fungi parasitic to the plants of the urban environment and to assess the species diversity of these microorganisms, with particular attention paid to the phenomenon of hyperparasitism. The research material consisted of herbaceous plants, trees, and shrubs showing signs of infestation by fungi, planted as park plants, along communication arteries, for hedges or ornamental plants, collected in larger cities of north-eastern Poland. Macroscopic and microscopic analysis revealed the presence of 12 different species of fungicolous fungi. The greatest diversity was found on the parasite of <i>Alcea rosea</i>, i.e., <i>Puccinia malvaceraum</i>, on which four fungal species were recorded. Four species of hyperparasites were identified: <i>Ampelomyces quisqualis</i> on the thallus of 19 <i>Erysiphales species</i>,<i>Cladosporium uredinicola</i> on the thallus of 5 species of the Pucciniales order, <i>Clonostachys epichloë</i> on <i>Epichloë typhina</i>, and <i>Sphaerellopsis filum</i> on the thallus of 11 representatives of Pucciniales. The study was also the first to record the presence of superparasites: <i>Ampelomyces quisqualis</i> on four Erysiphales species and <i>Sphaerellopsis filum</i> on three Pucciniales species. It is difficult to determine the relationships established by the other identified fungicolous fungi due to the lack of literature data. Nevertheless, the study demonstrated the presence of, among others, <i>Stemphylium sarciniforme</i> structures inside <i>Erysiphe palczewskii</i> appendages and the absence of ascospores inside the fruiting bodies indicative of the invasive nature of this relationship. However, confirmation of these findings requires further detailed microscopic and molecular analyses.

Liquid formulation of Ampelomyces quisqualis AQ003 suppresses powdery mildew of sunflower incited by Golovinomyces cichoracearum

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is an important oilseed crop grown in India cultivated mainly for its edible oil which is used for culinary purposes. The productivity of sunflower is declined due to biotic stresses, among which powdery mildew caused by Golovinomyces cichoracearum cause huge loss to the farming community. In the present study, an attempt was made to exploit Ampelomyces quisqualis, a pycnidial hyperparasitic fungus for the management of powdery mildew in sunflower. The results revealed that, application of liquid formulation of Ampelomyces quisqualis (0.3 %) was effective in reducing the incidence of powdery mildew of sunflower (9.73 PDI) when compared to control (58.53 PDI) besides increasing the yield. The hyperparasite reduces the incidence of powdery mildew by disrupting the conidiophore and in-turn the mycelial growth. Thus it is concluded that, Ampelomyces quisqualis can be effectively used for the management of powdery mildew of sunflower.

Effectiveness of Some Environmentally Friendly Products on Hazelnut Powdery Mildew Caused by Erysiphe corylacearum

Objective: Powdery mildew disease caused by Erysiphe corylacearum is one of the main diseases affecting the yield and quality of hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.), one of the most important agricultural products of Türkiye. The study was conducted in Giresun in 2017 to determine the effect of some environmentally fiendly products (one biological fungicide, one fungicides containing plant extract and one plant activator) against the disease.
 Materials and Methods: As environmentally fiendly products against to disease, commercial products including AQ 10 (Ampelomyces quisqualis M-10 isolate), Regalia (Reynoutria spp. extract) and ISR 2000 (Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product) were used. For comparison Quadris Maxx (Azoxystrobin 200 g/l+Difenoconazole 125 g/l), a chemical fungicide known to be effective against this disease, was also used in the study. A total of five spraying applications beginning at the fruit setting time, prior to appearance of disease symptoms were performed. Disease severity values on hazelnut leaves and fruits were calculated according to the Townsend-Heuberger formula using the 0-4 scale. The efficacy of fungicides was determined using Abbott’s formula. 
 Results: The effectiveness of AQ 10 (Ampelomyces quisqualis M-10 isolate) was 21.07% on leaves and 21.29% on clusters; for Regalia (Reynoutria spp. extract) 19.13% and 28.09% anf for ISR 2000 (Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product) 19.23% and 10.80% on leaves and fruits respectively. Regarding chemical fungicide, Quadris Maxx (Azoxystrobin 200 g/l+Difenoconazole 125 g/l), the effectiveness was 91.98% on leaves and 73.63% on clusters.
 Conclusion: The chemical fungicide Quadris Maxx (Azoxystrobin 200 g/l+Difenoconazole 125 g/l), used in this study provided sufficient efficacy for the disease control, while the efficacy of environmentally friendly products used was found to be quite low. However, it is very important to use of environmentally friendly products for the disease control and the further studies should be conducted.

Exploring eco-sensitive strategies for effective powdery mildew management in grapevines

Grapevine powdery mildew is one of the most important plant diseases widely affecting crops in many countries. The main aim of the present study was to use Ampelomyces quisqualis isolates to suppress the powdery mildew of grapes under field conditions. The findings revealed a strong correlation between the mycoparasite, Ampelomyces quisqualis and the grape powdery mildew pathogens, suggesting its potential for effective control. The results revealed that a single spray of A. quisqualis @ 2.0 per cent (MDU1) succeeded by two sprays of Trichoderma asperellum @ 2.0 per cent (Tasp,7) were found to be effective against Erysiphe necator. In addition, liquid formulation of A. quisqualis isolate MDU1 (2% w/v) as a foliar spray at 2% containing 2 × 106 spores ml-1 the during initial occurrence of the disease up to three sprayings at 15 days interval was found to be best. Thus, a liquid formulation of A. quisqualis isolate MDU1 proved effective in managing grapes powdery mildew disease under field conditions. The rDNA ITS region of A. quisqualis isolates was analyzed at the molecular level, and the resulting sequences were subjected to GC-MS analysis. The secondary metabolite identification using GC-MS revealed the presence of antimicrobial compounds, including squalene with the highest peak of 4.643 percent, octadecanoic acid with 3.862 percent, tetradecanoic acid with 3.600 percent, and 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z) with 1.451 percent. These bioactive compounds revealed by GC-MS analysis in crude extracts of A. quisqualis had a stronger antifungal activity against E. necator.

Strategic Management of Powdery Mildew of Grapes Using Fungicides and Bio-Control Agents

The study was carried out at ICAR-NRCG, Pune, Maharashtra, India during November–February of 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 to evaluate the bio-efficacy of fungicides and biocontrol agents and level of tolerance against powdery mildew of grapes. Total 18 treatments categorised into three groups were taken into account. Three groups viz. fungicides, biocontrol agents (Bacillus licheniformis, Trichoderma afroharzianum, Ampelomyces quisqualis) along with metrafenone and commercial formulations of biocontrol agents were analysed for disease control. A total of five applications of each treatment were made during the growing season. Results showed that, in case of Group I (registered fungicides), Hexaconazole 5 EC @ 1 ml l-1/ Difenoconazole 25 EC @ 0.5 ml l-1/Myclobutanil 10 WP @ 0.4 g l-1/Two sprays of sulphur @ 2 g l-1 was most effective in controlling the disease. In case of pure culture, Trichoderma afroharzanium had proved to be most effective in the control of powdery mildew when sprayed in alteration with Metrafenone. In Group III, alternate applications of commercial formulations of Bacillus subtilis (2 ml l-1), Trichoderma viridae (2 g l-1), Ampelomyces quisqualis (5 ml l-1) and sulphur (2 g l-1) was most effective in controlling the disease. It was concluded that the application of bio-control agents in alternation with chemical fungicides controlled the disease effectively.

Diversity of Powdery Mildew Mycoparasite Ampelomyces quisqualis under Natural Ecosystem and Its Molecular Characterization

The powdery mildew are the most common diseases which widely affect crops in many countries. The mildew infection appeared on leaves, petiole, buds, inflorescence and other tender tissues of crops causing 65% of the crop loss. Even though the fungicidal spray to control the disease, the residual and environmental effects are causing long term ecological imbalance in cropping system. Recently, an alternative and eco-friendly mycoparasite associated with powdery mildew pathogens was used against Erysiphe sp, Leveilulla sp, Sphaerotheca sp and Oidium sp. This study aimed to mitigated the use of the expensive and harmful fungicides to save human health and to reduce the financial costs of controlling the fungal infections of crops in the field by using a commercial biofungicide naturally associated with different species of powdery midew fungi. Our results exhibited that the isolation of the mycoparasite Ampelomyces quisqualis from the mildew pathogens was closely associated with most of the genera of powdery mildew pathogens. The natural mycoparasitization efficiency of A. quisqualis was observed and higher (81%) efficiency was recorded in Erysiphe cichoracearum followed by 76% in black gram powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe polygoni. A total of 20 mycoparasitic Ampelomyces isolates were enumerated from pycnidia of 6 different powdery mildew species that naturally infected their host plants. The pycnidial morphological variations of A.quisqualis and the largest size of pycnidia was found in the Erysiphe chichoracearum (73.54µm length × 42.15µm width) shows maximum efficiency in natural parasitization. The molecular characterization of A.quisqualis isolates based on using rDNA ITS region was carried out and sequenced. The phylogenetic analysis was performed using the Maximum likelihood technique was shown the distinct relatedness with five Ampelomyces isolates made in the present study were clustered. This is the first and detailed study on diversity of Ampelomyces and quantification of natural mycoparasitism of different genera of powdery mildew of A. quisqualis.

Occurrence of the Hyperparasite Ampelomyces quisqualis on Golovinomyces neosalviae (Erysiphaceae), Causal Agent of Powdery Mildew on Common Sage (Salvia officinalis)

Hamzeh, S., W. Naffaa and M.F. Azmeh. 2022. Occurrence of the Hyperparasite Ampelomyces quisqualis on Golovinomyces neosalviae (Erysiphaceae), Causal Agent of Powdery Mildew on Common Sage (Salvia officinalis). Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 40(2): 158-163. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-040.2.158163 Ampelomyces quisqualis, the oldest mycoparasite of powdery mildew (PM), has been widely studied due to its potential in biocontrol. Many strains of this hyperparasite have been experimented worldwide and some of them were successfully applied for biocontrol, but others have been less efficient. No previous identification of Ampelomyces strains has been done in Syria, but some isolates were morphologically identified in the coastal region. There was no indication of Ampelomyces occurrence in any other location in Syria. During this three years survey (2019–2021), 73 plant samples were collected from five governorates, including coastal and southern regions in Syria. Ampelomyces pycnidia were detected in five samples from the coastal area and a new unpredictable finding of Ampelomyces sp. was found in southern Syria. This new occurrence of Ampelomyces isolate (S.ham82) is documented on a new mycohost; Golovinomyces neosalviae, the causal agent of PM on common sage (Salvia officinalis). Successful isolation of S.ham82 on PDA was conducted and parasitic activity was assessed by artificial inoculation using In vitro detached leaf assay. Morphological characteristics of this isolate were determined and compared with isolate Bah1 from the coastal region. Ampelomyces sp. (S.ham82) pycnidia size were 77.44 (±17.16) x 25.28 (±6.12) µm in natural host, 125.27 (±42.34) x 115.95 (±40.14) µm, 189.51 (±60.06) x 167.64 (±52.41) µm on PDA media pre and post artificial inoculation, respectively, and 88.24 (±20.05) x 27.98 (±5.68) µm on inoculated detached leaves. Conidia were also morphologically characterized and measured 8.11 (±0.87) x 3.88 (±0.51) µm in natural host, 8.86 (±1.65) x 3.18 (±0.80) µm in PDA pre and post artificial inoculation, respectively, and 7.82 (±0.69) x 3.61 (±0.37) µm in inoculated detached leaves. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the natural occurrence of Ampelomyces sp. in G. neosalviae on Saliva officinalis. Keywords: Ampelomyces sp., Common sage, Golovinomyces neosalviae, Syria.

The "Bipartite" Structure of the First Genome of Ampelomyces quisqualis, a Common Hyperparasite and Biocontrol Agent of Powdery Mildews, May Point to Its Evolutionary Origin from Plant Pathogenic Fungi.

Powdery mildews are among the most important plant pathogens worldwide, which are often attacked in the field by mycoparasitic fungi belonging to the genus Ampelomyces. The taxonomy of the genus Ampelomyces is unresolved, but well-supported molecular operational taxonomic units were repeatedly defined suggesting that the genus may include at least four to seven species. Some Ampelomyces strains were commercialized as biocontrol agents of crop pathogenic powdery mildews. However, the genomic mechanisms underlying their mycoparasitism are still poorly understood. To date, the draft genome of a single Ampelomyces strain, designated as HMLAC 05119, has been released. We report a high-quality, annotated hybrid draft genome assembly of A. quisqualis strain BRIP 72107, which, based on phylogenetic analyses, is not conspecific with HMLAC 05119. The constructed genome is 40.38 Mb in size, consisting of 24 scaffolds with an N50 of 2.99 Mb and 96.2% completeness. Our analyses revealed “bipartite” structure of Ampelomyces genomes, where GC-balanced genomic regions are interspersed by longer or shorter stretches of AT-rich regions. This is also a hallmark of many plant pathogenic fungi and provides further evidence for evolutionary affinity of Ampelomyces species to plant pathogenic fungi. The high-quality genome and annotation produced here provide an important resource for future genomic studies of mycoparasitisim to decipher molecular mechanisms underlying biocontrol processes and natural tritrophic interactions.

Developing biopesticide-based programmes for managing powdery mildew in protected strawberries in the UK

Powdery mildew, caused by Podosphaera aphanis, is an important disease of strawberries and currently its control in the UK is very dependent on conventional fungicides. A series of experiments were carried out to integrate conventional fungicides with biopesticides and biostimulants for mildew control. In 2015–2016, the biopesticides Sonata (Bacillus pumilis) and AQ10 (Ampelomyces quisqualis) achieved at least as good as or better mildew control where they were applied alone rather than alternated with or tanked mixed with conventional fungicides. Three mildew management programmes were evaluated in 2017 on an ever-bearer cultivar. In the B. pumilis based programme, the need for treatment and the choice of products were partially determined by predicted mildew risks. The incidence of mildew on leaves was very low in untreated plots with virtually no mildew observed in the other treated plots. By contrast, mildew on the fruit rose rapidly from 2 % in late July to >90 % in late August in untreated plots. In treated plots, the percentage of fruit with mildew did not rise above 3 % with the three managed programmes based on B. pumilis. There were no significant differences in total yield and marketable yield between the managed programmes and the routine fungicide programme, but all were significantly greater than the untreated control. Most of the unmarketable fruit in the untreated control was due to infection with powdery mildew. The results suggested that strawberry powdery mildew can be effectively managed by the integrated use of biopesticides, biostimulants and conventional fungicides.

Dehydration of Ampelomyces quisqualis CPA-9 conidia by adding biodegradable coatings: Biocontrol activity against powdery mildew and physical characterization of the formulated product

Ampelomyces quisqualis CPA-9 was reported as a promising biocontrol fungus against powdery mildew on cucurbits, although its formulation had not been developed. The present work aimed to develop a fluidised-bed spray-dried formulation of CPA-9 that included film-forming compounds, which could improve the behaviour of the microorganism under practical conditions. Film forming compounds, efficacy, shelf life, physical stability as a function of aw, and solubility in water were determined. A film-forming formulation based on native potato starch and pregelatinised potato starch as carrier and binder was obtained, and sucrose plus skimmed milk were used as protective compounds. Dehydrated conidia maintained the efficacy of fresh cells against Podosphaera xanthii on zucchini leaves, and powdery mildew was significantly reduced compared with control treatment. Despite of results obtained for the glassy state guaranteed the stability of the powder against sticking and caking processes, the shelf life of the product was limited to 4 months of storage at 4 °C. On the other hand, the formulation was mainly dispersible, due to the high concentration of native potato starch which reduces the solubility of the product. Results obtained in this work, such as the high efficacy of the developed product, the low cost of the employed substances, the film-forming ability of the rehydrated powder, and finally the effectiveness of the dehydration process, confirmed the potential of the product. Further studies to verify the improvement of CPA-9 behaviour under practical conditions or to improve the storage conditions to enlarge the shelf life of the BCA should be done to consider the developed product as a biocontrol-based product for cucurbits against powdery mildew.

Formulated Ampelomyces quisqualis CPA-9 applied on zucchini leaves: influence of abiotic factors and powdery mildew mycoparasitization

Even though the potential of the fungus Ampelomyces quisqualis against powdery mildew has been largely demonstrated, the efficacy of the commercialised product AQ10 Biofungicide is not consistent. Recently, a solid formulation of A. quisqualis strain CPA-9 that included biodegradable coatings on its composition was developed to overcome the major shortcomings of the biocontrol agents applied under practical conditions. The aims of the present study were to show the compatibility of CPA-9 with different phytosanitary products, and to confirm the potential of this novel formulation in different approaches: (i) under different conditions of temperature (20 and 30 °C) and relative humidity (40, 60 and 85%) on different surfaces (glass and zucchini leaves), (ii) after different rainfall episodes, and (iii) verifying Podosphaera xanthii parasitization by dried conidia of CPA-9. It was demonstrated that CPA-9 was compatible with several phytosanitary products, so it might be included in integrated management programmes. Moreover, the solid formulation showed better resilience than non-formulated conidia, both applied on a glass surface and on zucchini leaves. Adherence of both treatments on zucchini leaves did not show significant differences after simulated rainfall and all tested concentrations of dried conidia were able to produce pycnidia in P. xanthii hyphae. Therefore, the developed fluidised-bed spray-dried formulation of A. quisqualis CPA-9 together with coatings compounds has all the makings of becoming a biocontrol product, although their efficacy under practical conditions should be assessed.

In vitro and in vivo biological control of the green mold using different bacteria in button mushroom cultivation

BackgroundAggressive biotype (Trichoderma aggressivum f. aggressivum) of green mold is one of the main biotic factors limiting button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) cultivation. Due to issues such as fungicide resistance, cost, and adverse effects, biological control seems to be an applicable management method against the green mold in button mushroom cultivation.ResultsThe objective of the study was to assess biological control of green mold in button mushroom cultivation. Five native bacterial isolates from mushroom compost and 3 commercial biological preparations were tested against two isolates of T. aggressivum f. aggressivum. Dual culture tests were used in vitro experiments. In vivo, compost and casing soil experiments were conducted by comparing yield values of treated plots with negative and positive controls. In vitro, the bacterial isolates inhibited mycelial growth of isolates of T. aggressivum f. aggressivum and A. bisporus up to 46.60 and 56.94%, respectively. In vivo, in the compost experiment, compared with positive control plots, bacterial isolate MSG-5 (Bacillus subtilis) caused the highest yield increase (40.56%) in the treatments. In the casing soil experiment, commercial biological preparation Tic-3 (Ampelomyces quisqualis) caused the highest yield increase (36.15%) in the treated plots. Compared with positive and negative controls, all the treatments caused 30.23% increase but 4.86% decrease in yield of A. bisporus in the compost experiment, respectively. However, they caused 20.25% increase but 17.33% decrease in the yield of A. bisporus in the casing soil experiment, respectively.ConclusionsResults suggested that biological control of the green mold in compost can be more efficient than casing soil in button mushroom cultivation.

Year, Location, and Variety Impact on Grape-Associated Mycobiota of Arkansas-Grown Wine Grapes for Wine Production.

Wine grape berries (Vitis spp.) harbor a wide variety of yeasts and filamentous fungi that impact grapevine health and the winemaking process. Identification of these fungi could be important for controlling and improving wine production. The use of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) strategies has enabled identification and quantification of bacterial and fungal species in vineyards. The aims of this study were to identify mycobiota from Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel (V. vinifera), Carlos and Noble muscadines (V. rotundifolia), Cynthiana (V. aestivalis), and Vignoles hybrid (cross of different Vitis spp.) grapes, and investigate the effect of grape variety, location, and year on grape fungal communities. Grape berries were collected in 2016 and 2017 from four vineyards located in Arkansas. The HTS of the Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 region was used to identify grape indigenous epiphytic and endophytic fungal communities. The predominant genera identified on the Arkansas wine grapes were Uwebraunia, Zymoseptoria, Papiliotrema, Meyerozyma, Filobasidium, and Curvibasidium. Overall, the data suggested that grape fungal community distribution and relative abundance were influenced by grape variety, year, and location, but each was influenced to a different extent. Not only were grape mycobiota influenced by year, variety, and location but also it appeared that communities from the previous year impacted microbial communities the following year. For example, an increase of the mycoparasite Ampelomyces quisqualis was noticed in 2017 on grapes that carried the causal agent of powdery mildew, Erysiphe necator, in 2016, thus, amplifying the importance of vineyard microbiota knowledge for disease management and winemaking.

Premature defoliation in Zinnia sp. and mycoparasitism of Ampelomyces quisqualis against the powdery mildew pathogen Golovinomyces cichoracearum from the Philippines

This paper reports for the first time a premature defoliation of the ornamental plant Zinnia sp. caused by Golovinomyces cichoracearum and the presence of Ampelomyces quisqualis in the Philippines.

Potentiality of bioagents and botanicals against papaya black spot fungus: Asperisporium caricae

Among the seven bio agents evaluated in the experiment by following dual culture technique T. viride (72.59%) exhibited highest mycelial inhibition, followed by T. asperellum (70.37%), T. harzianum (64.81%), Ampelomyces quisqualis (63.33%), antagonistic bacteria Bacillus subtilis (9.63%), P. fluorescens (6.67%) whereas, least inhibition was observed by Bacillus pumilis (4.44%). Poison food technique was followed with seven plant extracts to test their efficacy against papaya black spot (A. caricae). Excellent mycelial growth inhibition was observed by Allium sativum (27.93%) which was significantly higher than all other treatments, which was followed by Zingiber officinale (24.15%). Next best inhibition was imparted by Vinca rosea (1.77%) but which was much less effective as compared to Allium sativum and Zingiber officinalis. Little inhibition was imposed by Tinospora cordifolia (1.47%), Azardiracta indica (1.12%), Tagetes erecta (1.07%) and Seaweed extract (0.67%) which were on par with each other.

Subcellular structure and behaviour in fungal hyphae.

This work briefly surveys the diversity of selected subcellular characteristics in hyphal tip cells of the fungal kingdom (Mycota). Hyphae are filamentous cells that grow by tip extension. It is a highly polarised mechanism that requires a robust secretory system for the delivery of materials (e.g. membrane, proteins, cell wall materials) to sites of cell growth. These events result it the self-assembly of a Spitzenkörper (Spk), found most often in the Basidiomycota, Ascomycota, and Blastocladiomycota, or an apical vesicle crescent (AVC), present in the most Mucoromycota and Zoopagomycota. The Spk is a complex apical body composed of secretory vesicles, cytoskeletal elements, and signaling proteins. The AVC appears less complex, though little is known of its composition other than secretory vesicles. Both bodies influence hyphal growth and morphogenesis. Other factors such as cytoskeletal functions, endocytosis, cytoplasmic flow, and turgor pressure are also important in sustaining hyphal growth. Clarifying subcellular structures, functions, and behaviours through bioimagining analysis are providing a better understanding of the cell biology and phylogenetic relationships of fungi. LAY DESCRIPTION: Fungi are most familiar to the public as yeast, molds, and mushrooms. They are eukaryotic organisms that inhabit diverse ecological niches around the world and are critical to the health of ecosystems performing roles in decomposition of organic matter and nutrient recycling (Heath, 1990). Fungi are heterotrophs, unlike plants, and comprise the most successful and diverse phyla of eukaryotic microbes, interacting with all other forms of life in associations that range from beneficial (e.g., mycorrhizae) to antagonistic (e.g., pathogens). Some fungi can be parasitic or pathogenic on plants (e.g., Cryphonectria parasitica, Magnaporthe grisea), insects (e.g., Beauveria bassiana, Cordyceps sp.), invertebrates (e.g., Drechslerella anchonia), vertebrates (e.g., Coccidioides immitis, Candia albicans) and other fungi (e.g., Trichoderma viride, Ampelomyces quisqualis). The majority of fungi, however, are saprophytes, obtaining nutrition through the brake down of non-living organic matter.

<p><strong><em>Leveillula guilanensis</em> (Erysiphales, Ascomycota): a new record from Europe with notes on the biogeography of the genus</strong></p>

Powdery mildews are the subject of intense research due to their negative impact on agriculture or horticulture. The genetic diversity of these ascomycete fungi has only been surveyed in the last decades to investigate phylogenetic relationships and species boundaries, to propose new taxa, and to assess their biogeographic history. However, many of the resulting studies are revealing only a partial picture because of the uneven species sampling across the globe. Here, we studied three Leveillula collections occurring on wild plant species in the Iberian Peninsula, a region which lacked any previous knowledge on the genus’ genetic diversity. Our study provides the first record of L. guilanensis in Europe based on specimens from two distant localities in the Iberian Peninsula; the species was so far known only from Iran. It grew on living Chondrilla juncea and was parasitized by the hyperparasite fungus Ampelomyces quisqualis. The morphological and phylogenetic assignment of another collection to L. lanuginosa is reported as well. Furthermore, we inferred a chronogram based on an Erysiphales nrITS substitution rate that dated the crown node of Leveillula back to 22.48 million years ago. Clades including the Iberian Peninsula samples originated and diversified through the Neogene (Miocene to Pleistocene). These results suggest an overall older time frame for the evolution of Leveillula compared to previous works. All in all, the present study provides additional avenues for discussing the evolutionary and biogeographic history of this genus of powdery mildews.