title: The Myrtle rust pathogen, Puccinia psidii, discovered in Africa.
abstract: Puccinia psidii, the cause of a disease today commonly referred to as Myrtle rust, is considered a high priority quarantine threat globally. It has a wide host range in the Myrtaceae and it is feared that it may result in significant damage to native ecosystems where these plants occur. The fungus is also of considerable concern to plantation forestry industries that propagate Australian Eucalyptus species. In May 2013, symptoms of a rust disease resembling those of P. psidii were observed on an ornamental Myrtaceous shrub in a garden in South Africa. The fungus was identified based on DNA sequence data of the ITS and 5.8S nrRNA gene regions and here we report, for the first time, the presence of P. psidii in Africa.
authors.affiliation: Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Jolanda
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roux
authors.forename: Izette
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Greyling
authors.forename: Teresa A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Coutinho
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verleur
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wingfield
keywords: Eucalyptus rust; Guava rust; Myrtus communis; Pucciniaceae; Uredo rangellii
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