Journal of Plant Pathology (2015), 97 (3), 539-540 Edizioni ETS Pisa, 2015 539

Short Communication

SPORISORIUM PATHOGENS IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN: THREE NEW REPORTS

M.L. Deadman1, I.H. Al Mahmooli1, J.F. Klimek2 and M.C. Aime2

1 Department of Crop Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, P O Box 34, Sultan Qaboos University, Al Khod 123, Sultanate of Oman 2 Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 915 West State St., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054, USA

SUMMARY resident smut pathogens and their hosts fulfills a timely and critical need and follows recent efforts to augment Smut were isolated from several the available information for other major Basidiomycete of infected grasses in the Sultanate of Oman. Pathogen pathogens (Deadman et al., 2011). identity was confirmed by nuclear ribosomal large subunit The current study compiles data for the four species DNA sequencing and analysis and consequently three new of now known for northern Oman, including national reports of smut pathogens of the Sporiso- three new records – S. sorghi, S. foviolati and S. scitamin- rium isolated from (S. sorghi), sugarcane (S. sci- eum. Furthermore, the identity of S. reilianum previously tamineum) and the native grass Dichanthium foveolatum reported in northern Oman is confirmed using nuclear (S. foveolati), are presented. Additionally the identification rDNA sequence data. of the previously reported S. reilianum, from sorghum, is Fresh collections were made across northern Oman confirmed on the basis of nuclear rDNA sequence data. including the Hajar Mountains between January 2009 All four reports represent new records for the Arabian and January 2012. The area (as described in Deadman Peninsula region. et al., 2011) is approximately enclosed by the coordi- nates 24o56’30”N, 56o25’05”E; 21o58’53”N, 55o40’47”E; Keywords: Native flora, Arabian Peninsula, Sorghum, 22o28’51”N, 59o49’38”E; 21o03’48”N, 58o50’11”E. Field Sugarcane, Basidiomycetes, collected specimens were transferred to Sultan Qaboos University for initial identification and then to the Depart- ment of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, USA for detailed examination and molecular character- ization. Pathogen identity was confirmed by nuclear ribo- Previous reports of smut diseases in Oman are few. somal large subunit (28S) DNA sequencing and analysis, Waller and Bridge (1978) reported ( following protocols outlined in Aime (2006) except that nuda) on ; Moghul (1993) reported Ustilago nuda on primers LSU4-B (Aime and Phillips-Mora, 2005) and LR6 wheat and , Graphiola phoenicsis on datepalm and (Vilgalys and Hester, 1990) were used for amplification Sphacelotheca (Sporisorium) reiliana on sorghum. The lack and sequencing. Voucher sequences were deposited in of previous reports of smuts is surprising given the wide- GenBank (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and voucher spread cultivation of cereals and other monocotyledonous specimens deposited in the Kriebel Herbarium (PUL; crops in the country. No prior reports exist concerning Purdue University, Indiana). Authority names are based smut pathogens on the native flora of Oman and indeed, on Authors of Fungal Names (CABI): http://www.index- no systematic study has been made of the smut fungi in fungorum.org/Names/Names.asp. any of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. Disease This report brings together information on the four specimens from Oman and other Arabian Peninsula coun- Sporisorium species that are now known to occur in Oman; tries are lacking in the major world herbaria. Neither the three of these species are recorded in the country for the U.S. National Collections (BPI) nor the Kriebel first time. Collecting efforts thus far have been largely di- Herbarium at Purdue University (PUL) contained any rected toward the northern agricultural regions of Oman smut specimens from Oman prior to the present study. and on hosts of agricultural importance. It is expected Given Oman’s position between northeastern Africa and that collections made in the southern Dhofar region where southwestern Asia, the collection of baseline data on climatic conditions are significantly different to those in northern Oman, and collections from the native flora Corresponding author: M.L. Deadman Fax: +96824413418 which contains many endemic species (Patzelt, 2008) are E-mail: [email protected] likely to yield many additional species. 540 Sporisorium smut in Oman Journal of Plant Pathology (2015), 97 (3), 539-540

Sporisorium foveolati (Maire) Vánky, Mycotaxon 33: 367 Hosts and distribution. – Previously reported from (1988) North and South America (Stoll et al., 2005), Austra- Specimens examined. – Sultan Qaboos University, Mus- lia (Vanky and Shivas, 2008), Europe and North Africa cat, on agricultural land, on Dichanthium foveolatum (Del.) (Vanky, 1994) and South Asia (Vanky, 2007), this wide- Roberty (Poaceae), I. Al Mahmooli, May 2010 (GenBank spread smut species is reported here for the first time in KR014148). Also, at Rustaq, on agricultural land, on D. Oman and the Arabian Peninsula. foveolatum, M. Deadman, December 2009. Hosts and distribution. – This smut species has previ- ously been reported from Eritrea (Vanky, 2005) and Iran REFERENCES (Vanky and Abbasi, 2013) on the same host. This is the first report for this pathogen in the Arabian Peninsula. Aime M.C., 2006. Toward resolving family-level relationships in rust fungi (Uredinales). Mycoscience 47: 112-122. Aime M.C., Phillips-Mora W., 2005. The causal agents of witch- es’ broom and frosty pod rot of cacao (chocolate, Theobroma Sporisorium reilianum (J.G. Kühn) Langdon & Full., My- cacao) form a new lineage of Marasmiaceae. Mycologia 97: cotaxon 6 (3): 452 (1978) 1012-1022. Specimens examined. – Emti, Al Dakhliah Region, on Deadman M.L., Al Sa’di A.M., Al Maqbali Y.A., Farr D., Aime agricultural land, on Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Mo- M.C., 2011. Additions to the rust fungi (Pucciniales) from ench (Graminae), M. Deadman, November 2009 (Gen- northern Oman. Sydowia 63: 153-168. Bank KR014149). Also, at Burkat Al Mauz, on agricultural Farr D.F., Rossman A.Y., 2015. Fungal Databases, Systematic land, on sorghum, M. Deadman, October 2010. Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA. Re- Hosts and distribution. – Previously reported as Sphace- trieved February 5, 2015, from /fungaldatabases/. lotheca reiliana in Oman by Moghul (1993), this wide- Moghul S.M., 1993. Status of Pests and Disease in Oman, 1: spread smut species is confirmed in Oman on the basis of Plant Disease in the Batinah. Directorate General of Agri- cultural Research, Rumais, Oman. nuclear rDNA sequence data. Patzelt A., 2008. Oman Plant Red Data Book. Oman Botanic Garden Publication no. 1. Diwan of Royal Court, Office for Conservation of the Environment, Sultanate of Oman. Stoll M., Begerow D., Oberwinkler F., 2005. Molecular phylog- Sporisorium scitamineum (Syd.) M. Piepenbr., M. Stoll & eny of Ustilago, Sporisorium, and related taxa based on Oberw., Mycol. Progr. 1 (1): 75 (2002) combined analyses of rDNA sequences. Mycological Research Specimens examined. – Bahla, Al Dakhliah Region, on 109: 342-356. agricultural land, on Saccharum officinarum L. (Poaceae), Vanky K., 1994. European Smut Fungi. Gustav Fischer Verlag, M Al Azri, January 2012 (GenBank KR014150). Stuttgart. Hosts and distribution. – Pathogen with apparently lim- Vanky K., 2005. The smut fungi of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Lidia ited distribution, restricted to China and Latin America 6: 93-120. (Farr and Rossman, 2015). This is a new report for Oman, Vanky K., 2007. Smut fungi of the Indian subcontinent. Polish the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East/North Africa Botanical Studies 26: 3-265. region. Vanky K., Abbasi M., 2013. Smut fungi of Iran. Mycosphere 4: 363-454. Vanky K., Shivas R.G., 2008. Fungi of Australia. The Smut Fungi. ABRS, Canberra; CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne. Ehrenb. ex Link, in Willdenow, Sp. pl., Edn 4 6 (2): 86 (1825) Vilgalys R., Hester M., 1990. Rapid genetic identification and Specimens examined. - Emti, Al Dakhliah Region, on mapping of enzymatically amplified ribosomal DNA from several Cryptococcus species. Journal of Bacteriology : agricultural land, on Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Mo- 172 4238-4246. ench (Graminae), M. Deadman, November 2009 (Gen- Waller J.M., Bridge J., 1978. Plant diseases and nematodes in Bank KR014151). Also at Burkat Al Mauz, Al Dakhliah the Sultanate of Oman. PANS 24: 313-326. Region, on agricultural land, on sorghum, M. Deadman, October 2010.

Received July 30, 2015 Accepted August 12, 2015