Title: A <i>Neotyphodium</i> endophyte from <i>Festuca myuros</i> L. in Nanjing, China
Abstract:Some Festuca species are infected by seed-transmitted Neotyphodium fungi without significant pathogenic symptoms. Fungal isolates were obtained from Festuca myuros L. growing in Nanjing. The endophyte...Some Festuca species are infected by seed-transmitted Neotyphodium fungi without significant pathogenic symptoms. Fungal isolates were obtained from Festuca myuros L. growing in Nanjing. The endophyte infection level was estimated as high as 91.4% in 148 plant samples from different sites, indicating that endophyte infection is common in F. myuros in Nanjing. Morphological characteristics of all 11 isolates were identical with each other. Phylogenetic analysis based on tefA and tubB loci indicated that these fungal isolates clustered with Neotyphodium sinofestucae, a previously reported species harbored in Festuca parvigluma. These fungal endophytes from F. myuros in China were then identified as N. sinofestucae. Small differences in morphological features and close evolutionary relationship in tefA and tubB genes were demonstrated among isolates from these two different host species. This exhibit species diversity of grass endophytes in Festuca spp.Read More