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Macruropyxis fulva sp. nov., a new rust (Pucciniales) infecting sugarcane in southern Africa

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Abstract

An unknown species of rust was observed on sugarcane in Swaziland and South Africa in 2008. Infected leaves showed rust-like symptoms on the abaxial and adaxial leaf surfaces. Uredinia appeared bright orange when fresh, releasing profuse, bright orange urediniospores, which distinguished it from Puccinia melanocephala, the only rust species known to infect sugarcane in southern Africa at that time. No identical matches were obtained from the NCBI database for the combined ITS and 28S nuclear large subunit (nLSU) regions for the unknown rust. Phylogenetic analyses based on the same gene region showed that this rust was closely related to Macruropyxis fraxini and Puccinia sparganioides, which infect Fraxinus spp. (Oleaceae). Also closely related were Aecidium klugkistianum, P. mysuruensis, and P. physalidis which infect host species in the Oleaceae, Rubiaceae, and Solanaceae, respectively. This group of rusts is phylogenetically distinct from both Puccinia melanocephala and Puccinia kuehnii, which cause brown and orange rust of sugarcane, respectively. Phylogenetic reconstruction showed that the unknown rust falls outside the Puccinia I and II clades and groups with the Macruropyxis clade with strong bootstrap support. Hence the name proposed for this newly discovered rust species is Macruropyxis fulva sp. nov., causal agent of tawny rust of sugarcane. A rust observed to be infecting Miscanthus ecklonii in 2016 matched the accessioned M. fulva sp. nov. sequences and was morphologically and genetically distinct from the Miscanthus rust Puccinia miscanthidii, providing evidence of an alternate host for M. fulva sp. nov.

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Acknowledgements

Research funding received from the South African sugar industry through SASRI is gratefully acknowledged. We would like to thank James M. Shine, Jr. and the Florida Sugar Cane League for funding L.A. Martin’s visit to the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, USA, as well as Dr. Amy Rossman for hosting the visit. Dr. Linley Dixon is acknowledged for confirming that this rust was distinct from other sugarcane rusts and Sasha Allen, Dr. Jill Demers and Tunesha Phipps for technical assistance in Beltsville, MD. The assistance of Nelisha Murugan (Microscopy and Microanalysis Unit, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) for SEM imaging is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) for identification of the unknown grass as Miscanthus ecklonii (Nees) Mabb.

Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the United States Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. South African Sugarcane Research Institute, Private Bag X02, Mount Edgecombe, 4300, South Africa

    L. A. Martin, D. Lloyd Evans, R. S. Rutherford & S. A. McFarlane

  2. Darwin College, University of Cambridge, Silver Street, Cambridge, CB3 9EU, UK

    D. Lloyd Evans

  3. USDA-ARS Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA

    L. A. Castlebury

  4. Swaziland Sugar Association, P.O. Box 367, Simunye, Swaziland

    J. T. Sifundza

  5. USDA-ARS Sugarcane Field Station, Canal Point, FL, 33438, USA

    J. C. Comstock

  6. School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X 54001, Durban, 4000, South Africa

    D. Lloyd Evans & R. S. Rutherford

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  1. L. A. Martin
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Correspondence to L. A. Martin.

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Martin, L.A., Lloyd Evans, D., Castlebury, L.A. et al. Macruropyxis fulva sp. nov., a new rust (Pucciniales) infecting sugarcane in southern Africa. Australasian Plant Pathol. 46, 63–74 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13313-016-0460-1

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