acremonium

Fungi associated with sugar beet cyst nematode (Heterodera schachtii Schmidt) in W. Azerbaijan were isolated from different stages during 2002-2004 and studied. Some 300 fungal isolates were obtained. In this paper, 16 species belonging to nine genera are identified. Among them, three species viz. Lecanicillium aphanocladii, Myrothecium verrucaria andPlectosporium tabacinum are as new records to the mycoflora of Iran. Six species viz. Acremonium kiliense, Lecanicillium aphanocladii, Myrothecium verrucaria, Plectosporium tabacinum, Acremonium sclerotigenumand Fusarium sulphureum are isolated and reported on sugar beet cyst nematode for the first time.

Some members of the familyClavicipitaceae are endophytic and have mutualistic relationship with the plant family Poaceae. Their relationship is beneficial for both host and fungus. In the present investigation, endophytic fungi were isolated from seed and leaf sheath of hosts Festuca arundinacea, F. ovina, F. pratensis, Bromus tomentellus, Melica persica and Lolium prenne. Morphological characters were checked on different culture media. Most of the isolates obtained from wild barley belonged to the section Albo-lanosa of the genus Acremonium and Neotyphodium. Sensitivity of the isolates to benomyl was tested and it was found that, media containing benomyl enhanced sporulation of non-sporulating isolates. In antibiosis test, it was found that most of isolates were effective against the phytopathogenic fungus Bipolaris australiensis and only two isolates of FoGn and MpFn were effective against Pythium aphanidermatum.

During 2003-04 major mushroom production units of Tehran province were sampled and 103 fungicolous isolates were obtained (Table 1). Verticillium fungicola (with 50 isolates), Trichoderma harzianum (with 24 isolates), Cladobotryum dendroides (with 16 isolates) and Acremonium crotocinigenum (with 11 isolates) were the most frequent fungi associated with the cultivated mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. The report of A. crotocinigenum and two varieties of V. fungicola (fungicola and flavidum) is new to the mycoflora of Iran. The validity of temperature tests for distinction between T. harzianum and T. aggressivum is under question as the Iranian isolates of T. harzianum have the same growth rate as those of T. aggressivum, but based on molecular data (AFLP) they are different from both species. They could however represent a new taxon. Verticillium fungicola causes dry bubble disease and also distortion and mummification of the fruit-bodies of Agaricus bisporus (Fig. 1). The two varieties are indistinguishable from each other on morphological grounds (Fig. 3), but they are distinct at ITS level (Fig. 2).