Abstract
Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the most expensive spices in the world due to its medicinal and aromatic value. However, saffron production is severely affected by the corm rot disease throughout the saffron producing countries. In this study, we report a basidiomycetous latent pathogen of saffron, designated as CSE26, capable of producing phytotoxic compounds. CSE26 is a highly odorous basidiomycete with monomitic hyphal system. Molecular phylogeny of ITS and 28S ribosomal gene sequence of CSE26 assigned it as Porostereum spadiceum. It was found to produce corm rot in C. sativus under in vivo and field conditions, with a disease severity index of 0.7 and 0.5, respectively. CSE26 was found to produce chlorinated aromatic compounds (CAMs) having phytotoxic activity against Arabidopsis plants. Therefore, these compounds may be acting as pathogenic determinants of CSE26. However, there is a need to study the level of production of these CAMs by this fungus in the natural environment and their effects on plant health.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the CSIR 12th FYP project (Grant number: PMSI-BSC0117) and MLP1008 of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India. Z.A.W. is thankful to CSIR for Senior Research Fellowship. T.A. is thankful to UGC for Junior Research Fellowship. The article bears the institutional Manuscript no. IIIM/2176/2017.
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Wani, Z.A., Ahmad, T., Nalli, Y. et al. Porostereum sp., Associated with Saffron (Crocus sativus L.), is a Latent Pathogen Capable of Producing Phytotoxic Chlorinated Aromatic Compounds. Curr Microbiol 75, 880–887 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-018-1461-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-018-1461-9