title: Botrytis californica, a new cryptic species in the B. cinerea species complex causing gray mold in blueberries and table grapes.
abstract: The Botrytis cinerea species complex comprises two cryptic species, originally referred to Group I and Group II based on Bc-hch gene RFLP haplotyping. Group I was described as a new cryptic species B. pseudocinerea During a survey of Botrytis spp. causing gray mold in blueberries and table grapes in the Central Valley of California, six isolates, three from blueberries and three from table grapes, were placed in Group I but had a distinct morphological character with conidiophores significantly longer than those of B. cinerea and B. pseudocinerea We compared these with B. cinerea and B. pseudocinerea by examining morphological and physiological characters, sensitivity to fenhexamid and phylogenetic analysis inferred from sequences of three nuclear genes. Phylogenetic analysis with the three partial gene sequences encoding glyceraldehyde-3-phosate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), heat-shock protein 60 (HSP60) and DNA-dependent RNA polymerase subunit II (RPB2) supported the proposal of a new Botrytis species, B. californica, which is closely related genetically to B. cinerea, B. pseudocinerea and B. sinoviticola, all known as causal agents of gray mold of grapes. Botrytis californica caused decay on blueberry and table grape fruit inoculated with the fungus. This study suggests that B. californica is a cryptic species sympatric with B. cinerea on blueberries and table grapes in California.
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, Parlier, California 93648.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, Parlier, California 93648.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Margosan
authors.affiliation: University of California, Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Parlier, California 93648.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Michailides
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, Parlier, California 93648 Chang-Lin.Xiao@ars.usda.gov.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D029798:Blueberry Plants / Q000382:microbiology*; D020171:Botrytis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity; D027843:Vitis / Q000382:microbiology*
keywords: Vaccinum corymbosum; Vitis vinifera; cryptic species; gray mold; phylogenetic analysis; plant pathogen