Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Discovery of Ophiostoma tsotsi on Eucalyptus wood chips in China

  • Full Paper
  • Published:
Mycoscience

Abstract

Ophiostoma species such as O. quercus are the most frequent causal agents of sapstain of freshly felled hardwood timber and pulpwood. Many species are regarded as economically important agents of wood degradation. The aim of this study was to identify a collection of Ophiostoma isolates, resembling O. quercus, found on stained Eucalyptus pulpwood chips in China. DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions, including the 5.8S region, of the ribosomal DNA, and parts of the β-tubulin and elongation factor-1α genes, revealed that the isolates were not O. quercus. Surprisingly, they represented O. tsotsi, a wound-infesting fungus recently described from hardwoods in Africa. In addition, sequence data from an isolate from agarwood in Vietnam, identified in a previous study as belonging to an unknown Pesotum species, were also shown to represent O. tsotsi. A high level of genetic variability was observed among isolates of both O. quercus and O. tsotsi. This was unexpected and suggests that both species have been present in Asia for a significant amount of time.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anonymous (2006). The sixth survey of Chinese forestry resources. China State Forestry Administration, Beijing (in Chinese)

  • Brasier CM, Kirk SA (1993) Sibling species within Ophiostoma piceae. Mycol Res 97:811–816

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brasier CM, Stephens TM (1993) Temperature-growth responses distinguish the OPC and OPH sibling species within ‘Ophiostoma piceae’. Mycol Res 97:1416–1418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butterworth J, Lei Z (2005). China’s sixth forest resource inventory report. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report number CH5027. http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200503/146119239.pdf. Accessed 17 August 2010

  • Chung W-H, Kim J-J, Yamaoka Y, Uzunovic A, Masuya H, Breuil C (2006) Ophiostoma breviusculum sp. nov. (Ophiostomatales, Ascomycota) is a new species in the Ophiostoma piceae complex associated with bark beetles infesting larch in Japan. Mycologia 98:801–814

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Beer ZW, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2003a) The occurrence of Ophiostoma piliferum-like fungi on pulpwood chips and other wood sources in South Africa. S Afr J Sci 99:34–36

    Google Scholar 

  • De Beer ZW, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2003b) The Ophiostoma piceae complex in the Southern Hemisphere: a phylogenetic study. Mycol Res 107:469–476

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Geldenhuis MM, Roux J, Montenegro F, De Beer ZW, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD (2004) Identification and pathogenicity of Graphium and Pesotum species from machete wounds on Schizolobium parahybum in Ecuador. Fungal Divers 15:135–149

    Google Scholar 

  • Grobbelaar JW, Aghayeva D, De Beer ZW, Bloomer P, Wingfield M, Wingfield B (2009) Delimitation of Ophiostoma quercus and its synonyms using multiple gene phylogenies. Mycol Prog 8:221–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grobbelaar JW, De Beer ZW, Bloomer P, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD (2010) Ophiostoma tsotsi sp. nov., a wound-infesting fungus on hardwood trees in Africa. Mycopathologia 169:413–423

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Halmschlager E, Messner R, Kowalski T, Prillinger H (1994) Differentiation of Ophiostoma piceae and Ophiostoma quercus by morphology and RAPD analysis. Syst Appl Microbiol 17:554–562

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington TC, McNew D, Steimel J, Hofstra D, Farrell R (2001) Phylogeny and taxonomy of the Ophiostoma piceae complex and the Dutch elm disease fungi. Mycologia 93:111–136

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt J (1956) Taxonomy of the genus Ceratocystis. Lloydia 19:1–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamgan NG, Jacobs K, De Beer ZW, Wingfield MJ, Roux J (2008) Ceratocystis and Ophiostoma species including three new taxa, associated with wounds on native South African trees. Fungal Divers 29:37–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim SH, Uzunovic A, Breuil C (1999) Rapid detection of Ophiostoma piceae and O. quercus in stained wood by PCR. Appl Environ Microbiol 65:287–290

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim G-H, Kim J-J, Lim YW, Breuil C (2005) Ophiostomatoid fungi isolated from Pinus radiata logs imported from New Zealand to Korea. Can J Bot 83:272–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin TC, Huang JW, Hsieh WH (2003) Identification of ophiostomatoid fungi associated with Chinese fir wilt in Taiwan. Plant Pathol Bull 12:33–42 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Linnakoski R, De Beer ZW, Rousi M, Niemelä P, Pappinen A, Wingfeld MJ (2008) Fungi including Ophiostoma karelicum sp. nov., associated with Scolytus ratzeburgi infesting birch in Finland and Russia. Mycol Res 112:1475–1488

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Linnakoski R, De Beer ZW, Rousi M, Solheim H, Wingfield MJ (2009) Ophiostoma denticiliatum sp. nov. and other Ophiostoma species associated with the birch bark beetle in southern Norway. Persoonia 23:9–15

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Masuya H, Yamaoka Y, Kaneko S, Yamaura Y (2009) Ophiostomatoid fungi isolated from Japanese red pine and their relationships with bark beetles. Mycoscience 50:212–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morelet M (1992) Ophiostoma querci sur chêne en France. Extrait Ann SSNATV 44:109–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Nisikado Y, Yamauti K (1935) Contributions to the knowledge of the sap stains of wood in Japan. III. Studies on Ceratostomella piceae Münch, the cause of a blue stain of pine trees. Ohara Inst Landw Forsch Ber 6:539–560

    Google Scholar 

  • Nkuekam GK, Jacobs K, De Beer ZW, Wingfield MJ, Roux J (2008) Pesotum australi sp. nov. and Ophiostoma quercus associated with Acacia mearnsii trees in Australia and Uganda, respectively. Australas Plant Pathol 37:406–416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paciura D, Zhou XD, De Beer ZW, Jacobs K, Ye H, Wingfield MJ (2010) Characterisation of synnematous bark beetle-associated fungi from China, including Graphium carbonarium sp. nov. Fungal Divers 40:75–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pipe ND, Buck KW, Brasier CM (1995) Genomic fingerprinting supports the separation of Ophiostoma piceae into two species. Mycol Res 99:1182–1186

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Posada D, Crandall KA (1998) MODELTEST: testing the model of DNA substitution. Bioinformatics 14:817–818

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodas CA, Roux J, Van Wyk M, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2008) Ceratocystis neglecta sp. nov., infecting Eucalyptus trees in Colombia. Fungal Divers 28:73–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Roux J, Wingfield MJ (2009) Ceratocystis species: emerging pathogens of non-native plantation Eucalyptus and Acacia species. South For 71:115–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Roux J, Van Wyk M, Hatting H, Wingfield MJ (2004) Ceratocystis species infecting stem wounds on Eucalyptus grandis in South Africa. Plant Pathol 53:414–421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seifert KA (1993) Sapstain of commercial lumber by species of Ophiostoma and Ceratocystis. In: Wingfield MJ, Seifert KA, Webber J (eds) Ceratocystis and Ophiostoma: taxonomy, ecology and pathogenicity. APS Press, St. Paul, pp 141–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Thwaites JM, Farrell RL, Hata K, Carter P, Lausberg M (2004) Sapstain fungi on Pinus radiata logs—from New Zealand Forest to export in Japan. J Wood Sci 50:459–465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turnbull JW (2000) Economic and social importance of eucalypts. In: Keane PJ, Kile GA, Podger FD, Brown BN (eds) Diseases and pathogens of eucalypts. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia, pp 1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Wyk M, Pegg G, Lawson S, Wingfield MJ (2007) Ceratocystis atrox sp. nov. associated with Phoracantha acanthocera infestations on Eucalyptus grandis in Australia. Australas Plant Pathol 36:407–414

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wingfield MJ, Slippers B, Hurley BP, Coutinho TA, Wingfield BD, Roux J (2008) Eucalypt pests and diseases: growing threats to plantation productivity. South For 70:139–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou XD, De Beer ZW, Ahumada R, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2004) Ophiostoma and Ceratocystiopsis spp. associated with two pine-infesting bark beetles in Chile. Fungal Divers 15:261–274

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou XD, De Beer ZW, Xie YJ, Pegg GS, Wingfield MJ (2007) DNA-based identification of Quambalaria pitereka causing severe leaf blight of Corymbia citriodora in China. Fungal Divers 25:245–254

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou XD, Xie Y, Chen S, Wingfield MJ (2008) Diseases of eucalypt plantations in China: challenges and opportunities. Fungal Divers 32:1–7

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Jolanda Roux, Gilbert Kamgan Nkuekam, and Ronald Heath for sharing the African isolates with us, and Dina Paciura for supplying some of the DNA sequences. We would like to acknowledge our African collaborators; Gerald Meke from the Forestry Research Institute of Malawi, Aza Mbaga from the Tanganyika Wattle Company, Tanzania, and the Forestry Department, Uganda, and Makerere University, Uganda. We acknowledge the National Research Foundation (NRF), members of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP), the THRIP initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) South Africa for financial support. This work forms part of on-going cooperation between South Africa and China, and is funded through the projects of 2007DFA31190 and 2006BAD08A11 from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa

    Joha W. Grobbelaar, Paulette Bloomer, Michael J. Wingfield & Brenda D. Wingfield

  2. Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa

    Z. Wilhelm de Beer

  3. China Eucalypt Research Centre (CERC), Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhanjiang, People’s Republic of China

    Xu Dong Zhou

Authors
  1. Joha W. Grobbelaar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Z. Wilhelm de Beer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Paulette Bloomer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Michael J. Wingfield
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Xu Dong Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Brenda D. Wingfield
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Z. Wilhelm de Beer.

About this article

Cite this article

Grobbelaar, J.W., de Beer, Z.W., Bloomer, P. et al. Discovery of Ophiostoma tsotsi on Eucalyptus wood chips in China. Mycoscience 52, 111–118 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10267-010-0081-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10267-010-0081-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation