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Hymenoscyphus fraxineus on Fraxinus excelsior in Slovakia: distribution and mating types

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Abstract

Hymenoscyphus fraxineus causes ash dieback in Europe and threatens the future existence of Fraxinus excelsior in large parts of its natural distribution range. In this study, we report the first documented distribution of the pathogen on the most common ash species F. excelsior in Slovakia, identified molecularly using species-specific primers and based on sequencing of the ITS region of rDNA. Analysis of the mating type genes of H. fraxineus isolates revealed the presence of both mating types in Slovakia. Hymenoscyphus fraxineus-positive trees were recorded in 70 localities with different types of management in different parts of the country, mainly in forest stands. The results indicate the widespread distribution of H. fraxineus across the entire country, wherever the host is present.

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Sequences newly generated during this study are deposited in GenBank.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the financial support of the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Sciences, grant VEGA 2/0062/18. The authors also thank the managers of seed orchards, arboreta and forests for their cooperation and the opportunity to carry out field research.

Funding

This research was financially supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Sciences, grant number VEGA 2/0062/18.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Pathology and Mycology, Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Akademická 2, 94901, Nitra, Slovakia

    Miriam Kádasi Horáková, Marek Barta, Katarína Adamčíková, Radovan Ostrovský & Katarína Pastirčáková

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  1. Miriam Kádasi Horáková
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  2. Marek Barta
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  3. Katarína Adamčíková
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  4. Radovan Ostrovský
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Contributions

Miriam Kádasi Horáková and Katarína Pastirčáková contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection and sampling was performed by Miriam Kádasi Horáková, Katarína Pastirčáková, Katarína Adamčíková and Marek Barta. DNA extractions and sample preparation for sequencing, editing and submission of sequences to GenBank were performed by Miriam Kádasi Horáková. GPS data processing and creation of a distribution map were performed by Radovan Ostrovský. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Miriam Kádasi Horáková and Katarína Pastirčáková, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Miriam Kádasi Horáková.

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Horáková, M.K., Barta, M., Adamčíková, K. et al. Hymenoscyphus fraxineus on Fraxinus excelsior in Slovakia: distribution and mating types. Biologia 78, 1219–1230 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-022-01023-9

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