Guillermo Morera

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that poses a significant threat to global Eucalyptus cultivation; yet the species-level identity of causal agents often remains unresolved due to the limitations of morphological diagnosis. Here, the first estimates of powdery mildew incidence in Eucalyptus clonal mini gardens in Uruguay is provided, and the first approach of species identification within this system is presented. Surveys across three industrial nurseries revealed an overall powdery mildew incidence exceeding 70%, with noteworthy temporal variation and differences among clones. Molecular analyses, using DNA-based identification tools targeting the ITS and LSU rDNA regions, confirmed the presence of Podosphaera pannosa, previously identified in Eucalyptus grandis infections based only on morphological characteristics. Furthermore, this study reports, for the first time, P. aphanis, P. cfr. ruborum and an undescribed Podosphaera species infecting Eucalyptus dunnii in Uruguay. The results highlight the strong influence of host genotype on disease dynamics, with some clones exhibiting consistently lower susceptibility. These findings highlight the importance of integrating genetic resistance, cultural measures, and targeted fungicide applications into management strategies, as well as the critical need for active phytosanitary monitoring to track pathogen spread and inform control efforts. This work lays the foundation for future epidemiological studies and breeding programs aimed at mitigating the impact of powdery mildew on Uruguay’s commercially vital Eucalyptus forestry sector.

El presente artículo presenta un panorama general sobre los hongos comestibles en Uruguay y su grado de estudio a partir de una revisión de la bibliografía y el análisis etnográfico de la realidad reciente. Los primeros abordajes de forma incipiente se dan a comienzos del siglo XX a partir de la obra de Florentino Felippone y Wilhelm Franz Herter. En 1934, Rodolfo Tálice publicó su primer libro sobre la temática, el cual tuvo varias ediciones hasta la década de 1980. Recién en el año 2005 se retoman las publicaciones sobre el tema, y a partir del año 2013 con la obra de Alejandro Sequeira los hongos comestibles vuelven a escena en las librerías de público en general. En la última década, ha habido un creciente interés social y cultural en los hongos comestibles, lo que ha llevado a un aumento en la divulgación, recolección, identificación y la cocina con hongos. Se han redescubierto especies de hongos silvestres de géneros no considerados anteriormente en la cocina uruguaya como Calvatia, Coprinus, Rhizopogon, Cyclocybe, Laetiporus, Clitocybe, Laccaria y Lentinus. Gracias a este nuevo impulso en el interés por la funga silvestre comenzaron a realizarse una amplia gama de actividades como “micosenderos”, talleres de cocina, talleres de cultivo, y se ha promovido el surgimiento de emprendimientos de cultivo de hongos de diversas especies. Por otra parte, la recolección de especies típicas como Lactarius deliciosus y Gymnopilus junonius asociadas a plantaciones de Eucalyptus spp. y Pinus spp. existe en el país desde hace al menos cien años. En las últimas tres décadas esta actividad se da de forma zafral de manera continua. Este artículo busca relatar y contextualizar el escenario actual y realizar un análisis de su potencialidad en términos de sostenibilidad ecológica y soberanía alimentaria para el futuro próximo.

In recent decades, there has been renewed interest in studying and utilising indigenous yeast strains to preserve the unique characteristics of the terroir, thus producing wines that truly reflect their place of origin. A key challenge is the identification of non-conventional yeasts capable of both completing fermentation and enhancing a wine's uniqueness, complexity, and sensory appeal. In this study, we evaluated the oenological potential of three selected native strains, Saccharomyces cerevisiae 3FS, Saturnispora diversa 1FS, and Starmerella bacillaris 3MS, through pilot-scale fermentations of Tannat must in 200-L stainless steel tanks. We also explored the influence of these strains on the volatile compound profiles of the resulting wines. The native strains exhibited notable kinetic fermentative similarities to the reference strain S. cerevisiae RX60, thus demonstrating their comparable robust fermentative power, which is crucial for ensuring reliable fermentation in a commercial setting. This confirms that these strains can independently conduct fermentation. All three native strains consumed approximately 99 % of the must sugars within 11 days of alcoholic fermentation, achieving ethanol concentrations in the range of 9.65–11.58 %. Pilot-scale trials highlighted the pronounced fructophilic nature of S. bacillaris 3MS, which left very low levels of residual fructose (0.06 ± 0.05 L-1). This strain fermented glucose at a significantly lower rate than it did fructose, resulting in a final glucose-to-fructose (G/F) ratio of 1.83, which is considerably higher than that observed for the other strains (0.41–0.50). Moreover, fermentation with S. bacillaris 3MS reduced ethanol content by 2 % (v/v) compared to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains; such behaviour is advantageous for producing wines with lower alcohol levels. Fermentations using native strains produced wines with more pronounced floral and fruity aromas: specifically, S. bacillaris 3MS significantly increased the total concentrations of volatile esters, norisoprenoids, and terpenes, as detected by GC-MS, relative to the other species. The approach used here can enable winemakers to utilise non-Saccharomyces yeasts, such as S. bacillaris 3MS and S. diversa 1FS, to enhance wine aroma, while promoting biodiversity, fostering innovation, and creating wines with greater authenticity and uniqueness.

We present a fast and reliable genetic method for sexing Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) via high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis of amplicons obtained through real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR-RT). This method employs the KY1/KY2 primer set to amplify an informative fragment of the Amelogenin gene that accurately determines the sex of Pampas deer. This approach is effective for analyzing noninvasive samples with low DNA quality and quantity. Additionally, this protocol can be easily adapted for sexing noninvasive samples from other deer and ungulate species.

Coprophilous basidiomycetous fungi constitute a distinct ecological group, essential for the recycling of cellulose and other polymers digested by herbivores, and exhibiting adaptations such as thick-walled basidiospores. The family Bolbitiaceae, including the genera Pholiotina, Conocybe and Bolbitius, is well-represented on animal dung. Nonetheless, the coprophilous fungal diversity of Uruguay remains largely unexplored. This study aims to expand the knowledge of Uruguayan coprophilous fungi through the analysis of basidiomes collected from horse and cow dung samples, and using morphological, chemical and multilocus phylogenetic analyses (including ITS, LSU and Tef1-α regions). We recorded and characterized Pholiotina coprophila and Conocybe rufostipes for the first time in Uruguay and also identified and described a new species: Conocybe pruinosa sp. nov. Based on previous reports for related species, we searched for psychoactive tryptamines, but none of the samples in this study showed detectable concentrations of psilocybin or psilocin. Interestingly, in all cases, the clades consisted of sequences from Asia, Europe, North America and now Uruguay, which may correlate with the introduction of bovine cattle from these regions into the country.

The identity and phylogenetic relationships of Laetiporaceae taxa (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) remain poorly studied. In this work we carry out a multigene phylogenetic analysis to identify the Laetiporus species that grow in South America and move forward the understanding of the phylogenetic relationships among the poroid genera of Laetiporaceae within the antrodia clade. Based on the morphology and molecular phylogenetic data, two new genera are proposed, Berckurtia to accommodate Berkcurtia persicina comb. nov. and Atlantiporus to accommodate Atlantiporus squalidus comb. nov., and 2 other new combinations Kusaghiporia talpae and Laetiporus dilatohyphus. A key to the poroid genera of the Laetiporaceae is also provided and the taxonomic implications for these species and related taxa are discussed.

Ganoderma is a cosmopolitan genus that includes a great diversity of species. Many of them have been historically described based only on morphological characteristics; however, due to their morphological plasticity, there is no complete understanding about their relationship and taxonomic status. Commonly applied names, particularly in the southern Neotropics, come from species of North Hemisphere distribution (e.g. G. lucidum, G. resinaceum and G. applanatum). The objective of the present work was to perform a survey of Ganoderma species thriving in Uruguay. We aimed to identify and characterize them through molecular, morphological and ecological analysis. The results confirm the presence of four reddish laccate species first registered for Uruguay (G. dorsale, G. platense, G. martinicense and G. mexicanum), and one non-laccate species (G. australe s.l.) composed of two clades. The species are morphologically differentiated mainly by its stipe, pilear surface, context, pores, basidiospores and cutis cells. Regarding the ecological data, the species present differences in substrate preferences. In addition, a taxonomic discussion regarding phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic status of Uruguayan Ganoderma species is presented.

El reemplazo de áreas naturales por zonas urbanizadas afecta la composición de las comunidades arbóreas, generalmente favoreciendo la ocurrencia de especies vegetales exóticas. Esto tendría implicancias directas en la estructuración de las comunidades de hongos patógenos que hospedan estas especies arbóreas. En este trabajo se propuso examinar: a) la estructura de la red de interacciones entre especies del arbolado urbano y los hongos patógenos degradadores de la madera, b) la composición de hongos patógenos en especies nativas y exóticas. Se observó que la red de interacciones mostró un patrón de anidamiento en donde varias especies de hongos patógenos establecen múltiples interacciones con diversas especies arbóreas, tanto nativas como exóticas, mientras que otras establecieron interacciones más específicas. Se observó mayor riqueza de hongos en árboles exóticos en comparación a sus pares nativos. Trece de las especies fúngicas se registraron exclusivamente en árboles exóticos, una exclusivamente en sustrato nativo y las nueve restantes compartieron tanto árboles exóticos como nativos.The replacement of natural areas by urban areas promotes changes in the composition of tree communities, frequently favoring the occurrence of exotic species. This may have direct implications in the structure of pathogenic fungal communities which grow in these hosts. Here we examine: a) the structure of the interaction networks between urban tree species and their pathogenic wood-decay fungi, b) the composition of pathogenic fungi in native and exotic hosts. The interactions network shows a nested pattern where several species of pathogenic fungi establish multiple interactions with various tree species, both native and exotic; while others establish more specific interactions. Richness of pathogenic fungi was higher in exotic trees than in natives. Thirteen fungal species occurred exclusively in exotic hosts, one in natives and the remaining nine species shared both exotic and native hosts.Fil: Cagnolo, Luciano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (p); ArgentinaFil: Heredia, Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (p); ArgentinaFil: Morera, Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (p); ArgentinaFil: Robledo, Gerardo Lucio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (p); ArgentinaFil: Urcelay, Roberto Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (p); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentin