Journal of Plant Pathology Archive

Abstract:

Emerging prevalence of F. poae in fungal biota of small-grain cereals has been documented in many diverse geographic areas. We studied the phylogenetic relationships among 40 F. poae isolates from different geographic origins and hosts based on partial sequences of elongation factor-1 alpha (ef1), enniatin synthase (esyn1), intergenic spacer of rDNA (igs), RNA polymerase II (rpb2) and trichodiene synthase (tri5) data sets. Sequence alignments of five individual data sets showed low genetic variability within F. poae with limited development of clonal lineages. Evolutionary divergence varied between genes, with high phylogenetic incongruence between ef1, igs, rpb2 and genes involved in secondary metabolism (esyn1 and tri5). MLS (multilocus sequence analysis) bootstrap consensus tree inferred from the MP separated all 40 F. poae isolates into four well-supported subgroups, although there was no clear geographic or host type basis on this separation. Lack of correlation between subgroups of any individual data set and geographic origin of the isolates and host (wheat) suggests absence of geographic isolation between local populations of F. poae and high adaptative potential of this species to changing environmental conditions, hosts or substrates. The results of the present study may also suggest that recently reported emerging prevalence of F. poae in grain mycobiota is not associated with dramatic changes in the population structure of F. poae.