Hyeon-Dong Shin

1. Pseudocercospora lythracearum (Heald & F.A. Wolf) X.J. Liu & Y.L. Guo was originally described as Cercospora lythracearum Heald & F.A. Wolf based on specimens collected from Lagerstroemia indica...

The ascomycete genus Taphrina comprises dimorphic plant-parasitic pathogens, several species of which cause plum pockets. Plum pocket pathogens on Japanese plum ( Prunus salicina ) were collected from seven localities in Korea, including Gimcheon (KCTC 37381 ^T /KACC 411123), Gumi, Okcheon (KCTC 37382/KACC 411126), Boeun, Jeonju, Wanju (KACC 410969) and Naju (KCTC 37383/KACC 411129). Based on a polyphasic approach combining morphological and physiological characterization with a molecular phylogenetic analysis involving the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, the D1/D2 domain of the 26S rRNA gene and the mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal RNA ( rns ) gene, these isolates were confirmed to represent a novel Taphrina species. Phylogenetically, the novel species was closely related to a clade comprising Taphrina pruni and Taphrina mume , which cause plum pocket disease and apricot leaf curl, respectively. Compared with the type strain of T. pruni (HA 1306ᵀ), the new Korean isolates exhibited low sequence similarity, with 95.79%, 98.95% and 98.77% identities in the ITS, D1/D2 domain and rns regions, respectively. Isolates infecting P. salicina formed an independent clade distinct from all known Taphrina species. The isolates also differed from T. pruni in ascospore size, budding rate within asci and cultural characteristics. Physiologically, the isolates differed from T. pruni HA 1306ᵀ in 7 of 41 carbon assimilation tests, 4 of 10 nitrogen assimilation tests, and growth at 25 ℃. To date, plum pocket pathogens on P. salicina have been attributed to T. pruni , Taphrina communis and Taphrina deformans ; however, the present study shows that they represent a novel species. We propose the name Taphrina neopruni sp. nov. (MycoBank number MB 862651) and designate KCTC 37381 ^T (ex-type strain KACC 411123) as the holotype.

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don, commonly known as periwinkle, is a perennial herbaceous plant. The plant is drought-tolerant and can persist in harsh, well-drained habitats, such as sandy soils, d...

1. Septoria represents one of the largest genera of coelomycetous plant-pathogenic fungi and includes more than 2900 published names associated with leaf spot diseases on a wide range of herbaceous...

Rust fungi associated with Prunus spp. in Korea have been reported under different genera, yet their taxonomy, host associations, and life cycles have remained insufficiently clarified. In this study, rust specimens collected from Prunus species and their putative alternate hosts were examined using morphological observations and molecular phylogenetic analyses based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequences. Four species belonging to three genera were identified: Blastospora makinoi, Blastospora radiata, Leucotelium semiaquilegiae, and Tranzschelia discolor. Blastospora radiata and L. semiaquilegiae are newly recorded in Korea. In addition, Prunus salicina and Semiaquilegia adoxoides are reported for the first time in Korea as hosts of rust fungi. Field investigations combined with sequence data clarified the heteroecious life cycles of Blastospora and Leucotelium species in Korea, confirming host alternation between Prunus spp. and alternate hosts including Se. adoxoides and Smilax spp. Historical records of rust fungi on Prunus in South Korea were taxonomically reassessed in light of these results. The congruence between molecular phylogenies and morphological characteristics provides an updated taxonomic framework for rust fungi associated with economically important Prunus species.

Ageratina altissima is an ecosystem‐disturbing invasive plant widely distributed in modified habitats across South Korea. In October 2025, leaf spot disease was observed on A. altissima in Bucheon and Guri, South Korea. The causal agent was identified as Corynespora cassiicola based on morphological characterization and a phylogenetic analysis of the ITS and LSU regions of the rDNA. The artificial inoculation of healthy A. altissima leaves resulted in symptom development, and the same fungus was reisolated, fulfilling Koch's postulates. This is the first global report of leaf spot caused by C. cassiicola on A. altissima .

Pueraria montana (syn. P. lobata ) is native to East Asia but has become an invasive species in North America and Europe, where it causes considerable ecological and economic disruption. Leaf blight symptoms have been observed on P. montana during the humid summer and early fall across multiple regions in Korea. Fungal isolates from symptomatic leaves were identified as belonging to the genus Marasmius through both morphological examination and molecular analysis. Artificial inoculation tests confirmed the pathogenicity of the isolates. This study is the first record of a Marasmius sp. causing leaf blight on P. montana in Korea. Also, we provided detailed documentation of disease symptoms and the morphological and molecular characteristics of the pathogen.

Anthracnose symptoms were observed on water speedwell ( Veronica anagallis‐aquatica ) plants in Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces, Korea, during field surveys conducted in May 2024 and 2025, affecting approximately 80% of the surveyed plants. The typical symptoms exhibited dark brown to black necrotic lesions that developed on the leaves and stems. A fungus was isolated from the collected diseased samples, and two representative isolates (KACC 410829 and KACC 411071) were identified as Colletotrichum tabacum on the basis of morphology and multi‐locus phylogenetic analyses of ITS, GAPDH , CHS‐1 , HIS3 , and ACT sequences. Pathogenicity tests reproduced the symptoms on healthy leaves, and the same fungus was reisolated, fulfilling Koch's postulates. This is the first report of C. tabacum infecting water speedwell plants, expanding its known host range and highlighting its potential threat to aquatic and wetland vegetation in Korea.