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← Dark times for powdery mildew
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Powdery mildew taxonomy

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Oliver Ellingham

The year 2000 saw a major revision of the taxonomy of the powdery mildews originally proposed by Braun (1987). The new monograph saw the recognition of the five major lineages of the Erysiphales therefore establishing the five ‘tribes’ (table 1).

Table 1. Taxonomy of the Erysiphales based on Braun (1999) and Braun and Takamatsu (2000) in comparison with Braun (1987), Braun (1995) (from Braun et al., 2002)

Table 1. Taxonomy of the Erysiphales based on Braun (1999) and Braun and Takamatsu (2000) in comparison with Braun (1987), Braun (1995) (from Braun et al., 2002)

Based on molecular analyses of the gene regions (the ITS region, as well as 18S and 28S rDNA) and superficial analyses of conidial surface patterns, discovered by Cook et al. (1997) under the SEM, these new systematics seem to reflect the diversity of powdery mildews.

Figure 1: Carpinus betulus in the Harris Garden, UoR, with the characteristic white coating of a powdery mildew. The Phyllactinia guttata infecting this common hedgerow plant is partly endoparasitic, producing well-devel- oped superficial hyphae as well as Internal hyphae, which develop from hyphae that penetrate the hosts through stomata, produce haustoria in mesophyll cells, but do not further elongate into the intercellular spaces.

Figure 1: Carpinus betulus in the Harris Garden, UoR, with the characteristic white coating of a powdery mildew. The Phyllactinia guttata infecting this common hedgerow plant is partly endoparasitic: producing well-developed superficial hyphae as well as internal hyphae. These develop from hyphae that penetrate through stomata on the leaves’ underside and produce haustoria in mesophyll cells, but do not further elongate into the intercellular spaces. (Photos by Oliver Ellingham)

Importantly, distinguishing characteristics of the Erysiphales seem to comply with this new classification. With all but three of the genera infecting their respective host plants ectoparasitically (fig. 1), those with an endoparasitic (or partially endoparasitic) nature are grouped together within the Phyllactinieae (the Leveillula, Phyllactinia and Pleochaeta).

Figure 1: Types of mycelial parasitism, from left to right showing ectoparasitic, partly endoparasitic and endoparasitic forms of powdery mildew mycelia.

Figure 1: Types of mycelial parasitism, from left to right showing ectoparasitic, partly endoparasitic and endoparasitic forms of powdery mildew mycelia. (From Takamatsu, 2013)

Figure 2: Molecular phylogenetic tree of the powdery mildews inferred from the combined data set of the 18S, 28S and 5.8S rDNA sequences. White and black branches indicate ectoparasitic and endoparasitic species, respectively. (From Takamatsu, 2013)

Figure 2: Molecular phylogenetic tree of the powdery mildews inferred from the combined data set of the 18S, 28S and 5.8S rDNA sequences. White and black branches indicate ectoparasitic and endoparasitic species, respectively. (From Takamatsu, 2013)

Next we will see how other features such as appendage morphology, number of asci per chasmothecium and conidiogenesis type also fit into this updated taxonomy.

References:

BRAUN, U. 1987. A monograph of the Erysiphales powdery mildews.

COOK, R. T. A., INMAN, A. J. & BILLINGS, C. 1997. Identification and classification of powdery mildew anamorphs using light and scanning electron microscopy and host range data. Mycological Research, 101, 975-1002.

TAKAMATSU, S. 2013. Molecular phylogeny reveals phenotypic evolution of powdery mildews (Erysiphales, Ascomycota). Journal of General Plant Pathology (2013): 1-9.

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About Oliver Ellingham

PhD student at the University of Reading. Working on ID techniques of powdery mildew Fungi. Interested in mycology, plant pathology and arboriculture.
View all posts by Oliver Ellingham →
This entry was posted in PhD research, Public Engagement with Science, RHS research and tagged Ascomycota, Classification, Erysiphales, Fungal identification, Fungi, morphology, Oli Ellingham, Oliver Ellingham, Parasitism, Pathology, Phyllactinieae, Phylogeny, Plant Pathology, Powdery Mildew, RHS, Royal Horticultural Society, taxonomy. Bookmark the permalink.
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Last reply was March 18, 2016
  1. Appendage Morphology | Culham Research Group
    View January 21, 2014

    […] Amongst the most important visual, superficial features of the powdery mildew are their appendages. These limb-like features arising from the surface of sexual spores are important for latching onto the stems and leaves of their hosts. They vary greatly and can help us to distinguish between tribes and genera. […]

    Reply
  2. Powdery Mildew Survey | Culham Research Group
    View May 21, 2014

    […] over 900 named species, occurring on more than 10,000 different plant hosts, even experts struggle to ID them effectively. […]

    Reply
  3. Powdery Mildew Survey 2015 | Culham Research Group
    View March 10, 2016

    […] over 900 named species, occurring on more than 10,000 different plant hosts, even experts struggle to ID them effectively. […]

    Reply
  4. Powdery Mildew Survey 2016 | Culham Research Group
    View March 18, 2016

    […] over 900 named species, occurring on more than 10,000 different plant hosts, even experts struggle to ID them […]

    Reply
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