Dollar spot is one of the most destructive diseases of turgrasses. The causal agent was first described in 1937 as the ascomycete Sclerotinia homoeocarpa. However, the genus-level taxonomic placement of this fungus has been the subject of an ongoing debate for over 75 years. In our research, phylogenetic evidence from three nucleotide sequence markers (CaM, ITS and Mcm7; 1810-bp) confirmed that S. homoeocarpa is not a species of Sclerotinia; nor is it a member of any known genus in the Rutstroemiaceae. These data support the establishment of a new genus, which we describe here as Clarireedia gen. nov. The type species for the genus, Clarireedia homoeocarpa comb. nov., is described to accommodate the dollar spot fungus, and a neotype is designated. This resolved taxonomy puts to rest a major controversy amongst plant pathologists and provides a foundation for better understanding the nature and biology of these destructive pathogens.

 

For more information, visit the published paper in Fungal Biology https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funbio.2018.04.004

 

TEAM

Jo Anne Crouch, Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture

Lisa A. Beirn, Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University 

Michael Boehm, Department of Plant Pathology, Ohio State University 

Ignazio Carbone, Center for Integrated Fungal Research, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University 

Bruce B. Clarke, Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University 

James P. Kerns, Center for Integrated Fungal Research, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University 

Martha Malapi-Wight, Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture

Thomas K. Mitchell,  Department of Plant Pathology, Ohio State University  

Venu Reddyvari-Channarayappa3

Lane P. Tredway, Center for Integrated Fungal Research, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University