AUTHOR=Pan Meng , Zhu Haiyan , Bonthond Guido , Tian Chengming , Fan Xinlei 

TITLE=High Diversity of Cytospora Associated With Canker and Dieback of Rosaceae in China, With 10 New Species Described

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2020.00690

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2020.00690

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Cytospora canker is a destructive disease of numerous hosts and causes serious economic losses with a worldwide distribution. Identification of <italic>Cytospora</italic> species is difficult due to insufficient phylogenetic understanding and overlapped morphological characteristics. In this study, we provide an assessment of 23 <italic>Cytospora</italic> spp., which covered nine genera of Rosaceae, and focus on 13 species associated with symptomatic branch or twig canker and dieback disease in China. Through morphological observation and multilocus phylogeny of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large nuclear ribosomal RNA subunit (LSU), actin (<italic>act</italic>), RNA polymerase II subunit (<italic>rpb2</italic>), translation elongation factor 1-α (<italic>tef1-</italic>α), and beta-tubulin (<italic>tub2</italic>) gene regions, the results indicate 13 distinct lineages with high branch support. These include 10 new <italic>Cytospora</italic> species, i.e., <italic>C. cinnamomea</italic>, <italic>C. cotoneastricola</italic>, <italic>C. mali-spectabilis</italic>, <italic>C. ochracea</italic>, <italic>C. olivacea</italic>, <italic>C. pruni-mume</italic>, <italic>C. rosicola</italic>, <italic>C. sorbina</italic>, <italic>C. tibetensis</italic>, and <italic>C. xinjiangensis</italic> and three known taxa including <italic>Cytospora erumpens</italic>, <italic>C. leucostoma</italic>, and <italic>C. parasitica</italic>. This study provides an initial understanding of the taxonomy of <italic>Cytospora</italic> associated with canker and dieback disease of Rosaceae in China.</p>