• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.117.3-118
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• 2003

We tested for the presence of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) mycovirus in 827 Fusarium graminearum isolated from diseased barley and maize. dsRNA mycoviruses with various sizes were isolated. Of them, it was previously reported that dsRNA from DK2l isolate had pronounced morphological changes, including reduction in mycelial growth, increased to red pigmentation, reduced virulence and sporulation. (Chu et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2002). For better understanding of this hypovirulence associated with DK2l dsRNA virus, we determined the complete nucleotide sequence of dsRNA genome and named Fusarium hypovirus DK2l strain (Fhv-DK2l ). Genomic RNA of Fhv-DK2l was determined to be 6625 nucleotides in length excluding the poly (A) tail and contained three putative open reading frame. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and helicase domain were expected in ORF A, 54 to 4709 nucleotide position. ORE B, 4752 to 5216 nucleotide position, and ORF C, 5475 to 6578 nucleotide position, were predicted to encode 16.7kDa and 41.3kDa protein respectively each. We could not detect any conserved domains from these two proteins. Phylogenetic analysis showed Fhv-DK2l was related to Cryphonectria hypovirus 3. Ten additional isolates were found that were infected with dsRNA mycoviruses. These mycoviruses contain 2 to 4 different segments of dsRNAs with the size range of approximately 1.7 to 10-kbp in length. The presence of dsRNAs isolates did not affect colony morphology and were transmissible through conidia and ascospore with incidence of 30-100％. These results indicate that there is genomic diversity of dsRNA mycoviruses that infect F. graminearum isolates and that impact of virus infection on host's morphology and virulence is determined by the interaction between dsRNAs and the fungal host, not by the mere presence of the dsRNAs

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.121-129
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• 2009

In 2007, a total of 77 isolates of Fusarium spp. were obtained from ear rot symptoms of corns collected from 5 locations in Gangwon Province, Korea. The fungal isolates were identified based on their morphological features. Out of the isolates, fifteen isolates were identified as Fusarium verticillioides which formed microconidia in long chains on monophialides. Four isolates were identified as F. subglutinans which formed microconida only on false heads. Six isolates were identified as F. graminearum which produced red pigment in PDA culture. Besides these Fusarium species, F. napiform, F. nygamai, and F. oxysporum were identified from the rest isolates. To assess for genetic diversity of the isolates, a random amplified polymorphic DNA(RAPD) technique was carried out using URP primers. The results from the RAPD analysis showed that the isolates from corn were divided into 6 groups. These RAPD groups of the Fusarium species corresponded to morphological characters of the Fusarium species. The phylogenetic analysis of most isolates by DNA sequencing of EF-1$\alpha$ gene corresponded to morphological characters of the Fusarium species. The results of pathogenicity tests by two inoculation methods revealed that F. verticillioides, F. graminearum and F. subglutinans are strongly pathogenic to corn stalks.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.455-464
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• 2021

Forty-eight spring barley genotypes were evaluated for deoxynivalenol (DON) concentration under natural infection across 5 years at Harrington, Prince Edward Island. These genotypes were also evaluated for Fusarium head blight (FHB) severity and DON concentration under field nurseries with artificial inoculation of Fusarium graminearum by the grain spawn method across 2 years at Ottawa, Ontario, and one year at Hangzhou, China. Additionally, these genotypes were also evaluated for FHB severity under greenhouse conditions with artificial inoculation of F. graminearum by conidial suspension spray method across 3 years at Ottawa, Ontario. The objective of the study was to investigate if reactions of barley genotypes to artificial FHB inoculation correlate with reactions to natural FHB infection. DON concentration under natural infection was positively correlated with DON concentration (r = 0.47, P < 0.01) and FHB incidence (r = 0.56, P < 0.01) in the artificially inoculated nursery with grain spawn method. Therefore, the grain spawn method can be used to effectively screen for low DON. FHB severity, generated from greenhouse spray, however, was not correlated with DON concentration (r = 0.12, P > 0.05) under natural infection and it was not correlated with DON concentration (r = -0.23, P > 0.05) and FHB incidence (r = 0.19, P > 0.05) in the artificially inoculated nursery with grain spawn method. FHB severity, DON concentration, and yield were affected by year, genotype, and the genotype × year interaction. The effectiveness of greenhouse spray inoculation for indirect selection for low DON concentration requires further studies. Nine of the 48 genotypes were found to contain low DON under natural infection. Island barley had low DON and also had high yield.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.106-114
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• 2024

Fusarium head blight (FHB), predominantly caused by Fusarium graminearum and F. asiaticum, is a significant fungal disease impacting small-grain cereals. The absence of highly resistant cultivars underscores the need for vigilant FHB surveillance to mitigate its detrimental effects. In 2023, a notable FHB outbreak occurred in the southern region of Korea. We assessed FHB disease severity by quantifying infected spikelets and grains. Isolating fungal pathogens from infected samples often encounters interference from various microorganisms. We developed a cost-effective, selective medium, named BGT (Burkholderia glumae Toxoflavin) medium, utilizing B. glumae, which is primarily known for causing bacterial panicle blight in rice. This medium exhibited selective growth properties, predominantly supporting Fusarium spp., while substantially inhibiting the growth of other fungi. Using the BGT medium, we isolated F. graminearum and F. asiaticum from infected wheat and barley samples across Korea. To further streamline the process, we used a direct PCR approach to amplify the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF-1α) region without a separate genomic DNA extraction step. Phylogenetic analysis of the TEF-1α region revealed that the majority of the isolates were identified as F. asiaticum. Our results demonstrate that BGT medium is an effective tool for FHB diagnosis and Fusarium strain isolation.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.217-222
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• 2011

Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) is native to East Asia, and grains of the plant are used as health food and medicinal material. Head blight symptoms of the plant were frequently observed during disease surveys in Korea from 2006 to 2008. The symptoms were characterized as discoloration of husks, and subsequently inside of mature grains were shriveled or emptied. One hundred fifty nine isolates of Fusarium species were obtained from the disease symptoms of the plant collected from several locations in the country. Out of the isolates, the most frequently isolated Fusarium species were F. graminearum (34%), F. proliferatum (14.5%), F. verticillioides (10.1%), F. equiseti (6.9%), and F. fujikuroi (6.3%). Other Fusarium species isolated were F. subglutinans, F. semitectum, F. poae, and F. sporodochioides. Elongation factor 1 alpha gene sequences of the isolates were used for phylogenetic analysis. Analyses of the sequences revealed that the isolates were confirmed to be identical with each reference species of NCBI GenBank. Pathogenicity tests showed that F. graminearum, F. proliferatum and F. verticillioides were strongly virulent to grains of Job's tears. The present study is the first report of head blight of Job's tears caused by Fusarium species in Korea.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2018.05a
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• pp.33-33
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• 2018

Air-borne plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum and seed-borne plant pathogenic bacterium Burkholderia glumae are cause similar disease symptoms in rice heads. Here we showed that two pathogens frequently co-isolated in rice heads and F. graminearum is resistant to toxoflavin produced by B. glumae while other fungal genera are sensitive to the toxin. We have tried to clarify the resistant mechanism of F. graminearum against toxoflavin and the ecological reason of co-existence of the two pathogens in rice. We found that F. graminearum carries resistance to toxoflavin as accumulating lipid in fungal cells. Co-cultivation of two pathogens resulted in increased conidia and enhanced chemical attraction and attachment of the bacterial cells to the fungal conidia. Bacteria physically attached to fungal conidia, which protected bacterium cells from UV light and allowed disease dispersal. Chemotaxis analysis showed that bacterial cells moved toward the fungal exudation compared to a control. Even enhanced the production of phytotoxic trichothecene by the fungal under presence of toxoflavin and disease severity on rice heads was significantly increased by co-inoculation rather than single inoculation. This study suggested that the undisclosed potentiality of air-born infection of bacteria using the fungal spores for survival and dispersal.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.142-148
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• 2013

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench) was traditionally grown on a small scale, however, at present its cultivation is getting momentum in terms of food and animal feed crop throughtout the Korea. Grain mold symptoms of the plant were frequently observed during disease surveys in Korea from 2007 to 2009. The symptoms were highly variable. Severely infected grain was fully covered with mold and partially infected grain may look normal or discolored. Ninety isolates of Fusarium species were obtained from the diseased plants collected from several locations in the country. Among the collected Fusarium isolates, 41 were identified as Fusarium thapsinum, 23 as F. proliferatum, 12 as F. graminearum, 5 as F. incarnatum, and 3 as F. equiseti based on their morphological and cultural characteristics. Elongation factor 1 alpha gene sequences of the isolates were used for phylogenetic analysis. Analyses of the sequences revealed that the isolates were confirmed to be identical with related species of NCBI GenBank. Pathogenicity tests showed that three dominant species, F. thapsinum, F. proliferatum and F. graminearum were strongly virulent to grains of sorghum. This study is the first report of sorghum grain mold caused by Fusarium species in Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.250-255
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• 2020

In order to find if a ferulic acid (FA) can be used as a selection index in cereal breeding for resistance to head blight and mycotoxin production, we analyzed FA in the grains of 80 cultivars of barley, rice, and wheat. FA content ranged 1.66-2.77 mg/g in barley (n=20), 0.56-1.53 mg/g in wheat (n=40), and 0.91-2.13 mg/g in rice (n=20). Among these, 7 cultivars each of barley and wheat with different FA content were tested for head blight and mycotoxin production by 2 Fusarium graminearum and 2 F. asiaticum strains. Mean pathogenicity of the wheat cultivars was significantly less than that of barley with higher FA and among wheat cultivars, there was no correlation between FA content and pathogenicity. Mycotoxin production was also lower in the wheat than in the barley as pathogenicity. However, pathogenicity and toxins produced by F. asiaticum were negatively correlated with FA content in barley. These results indicate that FA is not a resistance factor to head blight by F. asiaticum and F. graminearum or its mycotoxin production in barley and wheat.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.389.4-389
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• 2001

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.124.1-124
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• 2002