Morphological measurements and ITS sequences show that the new alder rust in Europe is conspecific with Melampsoridium hiratsukanum in eastern Asia.
Three species of Melampsoridium have been reported to infect hosts in genus Alnus. An epidemic of foliar rust affecting A. glutinosa and A. incana began in Europe in the mid-1990s, and the associated pathogen was identified as Melampsoridium hiratsukanum based on morphology. In this investigation we analyzed the morphology and genetic variation of alder rusts from Europe and Japan and the host specificity of the European epidemic rust. Our results showed that two rusts occur on the leaves of alders native to northern Europe; in Scotland an endemic rust indistinguishable from M. betulinum occurs, whereas alders in areas of Europe affected by the current epidemic were infected by M. hiratsukanum. M. hiratsukanum from naturally infected alder in Finland produced aecia on all Larix species tested but did not infect Betula leaves.
Hantula
J
J
Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Center, Finland. jarkko.hantula@metla.fi
Kurkela
T
T
Hendry
S
S
Yamaguchi
T
T
D029661:Alnus / Q000382:microbiology*; D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000648:ultrastructure; D029662:Betula / Q000382:microbiology; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005060:Europe; D005387:Finland; D007564:Japan; D028221:Larix / Q000382:microbiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology; D012606:Scotland; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity
D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer