• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.166-171
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• 2022

Virginia creeper (or five-leaved ivy; Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is one of the most popular and widely grown climbers worldwide. In September 2021, Virginia creeper leaves with typical rust symptom were found in an arboretum in Korea, with severe damage. Globally, there is no record of a rust disease on Virginia creeper. Using morphological investigation and molecular phylogenetic inferences, the rust agent was identified as Neophysopella vitis, which is a rust pathogen of other Parthenocissus spp. including Boston ivy (P. tricuspidata). Given that the two ivy plants, Virginia creeper and Boston ivy, have common habitats, especially on buildings and walls, throughout Korea, and that N. vitis is a ubiquitous rust species affecting Boston ivy in Korea, it is speculated that the host range of N. vitis may recently have expanded from Boston ivy to Virginia creeper. The present study reports a globally new rust disease on Virginia creeper, which could be a major threat to the ornamental creeper.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.299-303
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• 2023

Rust symptoms on Meliosma myriantha trees have been noticed during disease surveys in Korea since 2010, with a high disease incidence frequently surpassing 90%. The causal fungus of the rust disease was identified as Neophysopella vitis based on the morphological investigation and molecular sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA regions. This is the first report of rust disease caused by N. vitis on M. myriantha in Korea. A pathogenicity assay proved that M. myriantha serves as the aecial host of N. vitis as spermogonia and aeciospores were produced, which can infect the two uredinial hosts, Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).