A lycoperdaceous fungus, Lycoperdon ericaeum, was collected from the sandy ground under the pine trees of Ibaraki Prefecture, Eastern Honshu, Japan. This species was newly recorded from Japan. Descriptions and illustrations are provided based on morphological and ecological characteristics of the fungus.

In this study, teleomorphs on eight plant species—Podosphaera elsholtziae on Ajuga decumbens, P. koreana on Corydalis raddeana, P. sparsa on Metaplexis japonica, Erysiphe aquilegiae var. aquilegiae on Caltha palustris var. nipponica, Golovinomyces rubiae on Rubia argyi, Neoerysiphe hiratae on Ligularia fischeri, Phyllactinia actinidiae on Actinidia arguta var. hypoleuca, and P. ampelopsidis on Ampelopsis glandulosa var. heterophylla—are described. Of these, Caltha palustris var. nipponica, Corydalis raddeana, and Actinidia arguta var. hypoleuca are newly added as host plants of powdery mildews. Oidium sp. (subgenus Fibroidium) is a newly recorded anamorph on Taraxacum japonicum.

The effects of Trichoderma spp. on wood degradation were examined using five basidiomycetes, i.e., Fomitopsis palustris, Trametes versicolor, and three wild strains. To measure block mass losses, blocks of Japanese white birch (Betula platyphylla var. japonica) were covered with four Trichoderma spp. strains immobilized on heat-treated (240−280℃) wood particles and exposed to the basidiomycetes at 25℃ for 8−12 weeks. Each strain caused inhibition of wood degradation. ANCT-05013 provided the strongest inhibition, although inhibition was lost by heat sterilization. Mass losses without the immobilized Trichoderma spp. were 20−87%, but were only 16% and 2−3% with ANCT-05013 after exposure to T. versicolor and the other basidiomycetes, respectively.

The bioethanol produced from lingo-cellulosic biomass relies substantially on microbial functions which may be difficult to understand due to the processes involved: the complex nature of the substrate and enzymes, numerous choices for the pre-treatment of biomass, and the interdisciplinary aspects of the subject. These complexities are summarized here. Microbial functions can be required for the saccharification, fermentation, and pre-treatment of biomass, the saccharification process almost completely relying on microbial enzymes. The use of a commercial enzyme based on Trichoderma sp. should be maximized to achieve both the optimum activity for lingo-cellulosic biomass degradation and reduced cost. Continuing investigation on the diversity of microbial enzyme systems will also identify future candidates beyond Trichoderma sp.

This article reviews basic concepts, current status, and the potential applications of genomics on mycology, along with providing brief introductions of currently available technologies for experimental and bioinformatics approaches. The development of methodologies of bioinformatics and functional genomics, such as transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome analyses, enables the genome-wide study of various genetic phenomena related to filamentous fungal cells. An increase in the speed of genome sequencing would increase the number of genera that can be studied by comparative genomic analysis. Data obtained by functional and comparative genomic analyses may explain phenomena associated with vast numbers of genes. Genomics can provide an effective functional analysis of vast numbers of genes with unknown functions. The advent of next-generation sequencers will facilitate fast and cost-effective genome sequencing leading to the deciphering of more genome sequences, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of functional and comparative genomics. In the near future, genomic analysis will be incorporated into various fields of mycology. This review is an introduction to the current status of potentially useful technologies and strategies that are available for genomic and proteomic applications in mycology.

Among the important changes for fungi in the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Melbourne Code) adopted at the 18th International Botanical Congress (IBC2011, Melbourne, July 2011), the drastic change from dual nomenclature to unified nomenclature for anamorphic fungi or fungi with a pleomorphic life cycle (Art. 59) was explained with a special focus.