During the investigation of rust fungi collected in western China, two morphologically different rusts were found on Cornus plants. From uredinial and telial morphology, they belong to Thekopsora, and they were distinct from previously described Pucciniastrum corni on Cornus and other Thekopsora species. Therefore, they were described as new species, Thekopsora lanpingensis and T. triangula, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses by ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 and 28S rRNA gene partial sequences also supported the morphological results. The previously described Pucciniastrum corni in China was corrected as T. triangula. The presence of P. corni in China was not confirmed.

Forage maize growing in agricultural fields is often contaminated with fumonisins, a group of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species. We investigated fumonisin accumulation in maize plants from 2 to 10 wk after silking. Our aim was to determine whether harvesting forage maize earlier could be a practical control measure to reduce the fumonisin contamination in whole-crop silage. In a year with high fumonisin levels, the total fumonisin content (consisting of fumonisins B1, B2, and B3) of the maize plants increased 4–8 wk after silking, indicating that the risk of contamination increases with later harvest times.

A new species Crinipellis floccosa, discovered from Jiangxi and Guagndong provinces in southern China, is formally introduced. Morphologically the new taxon is similar to C. zonata and C. corvina, but the pale gray to reddish brown floccose squamules on the pileus make it a distinct species, which is also supported by the molecular data based on ribosomal RNA gene ITS sequence. The holotype is deposited in the fungal herbarium of Guangdong Institute of Microbiology (GDGM) and the sequence data is deposited in GenBank.

Aureoboletus marroninus sp. nov. is described, illustrated and compared with phenetically similar and phylogenetically related species. Morphologically, it is characterized by its small basidioma with a pileus of 13–22 mm broad, reddish brown to brownish violet or violet brown, glutinous and wrinkled pileus fringed with gelatinized veil remnants at the margin, and basidiospores of (8–)8.5–10 × 4–4.5(–5) μm in size. Phylogenetic analysis of the new species and related taxa based on large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (LSU) sequences is provided. Morphological and molecular data show that the new species should be placed in genus Aureoboletus, and it is clearly different from any known taxon.

Talaromyces verruculosus, T. aculeatus and T. apiculatus are the only Talaromyces species that produce conidiophores with ampulliform phialides, which taper into very thin necks and have rough walled, globose conidia. In this study, we introduce five new species with similar micromorphological features, but were found to display unique macromorphological characters. Talaromyces australis (CBS 137102^T) is distinguished by its restricted growth on CYA at 25 and 37 °C (16–24 mm; 9–13 mm) and red pigments produced on most media. Talaromyces kendrickii (CBS 136666^T) is distinguished by its inability to grow on CYA at 37 °C. Talaromyces veerkampii (CBS 500.78^T) grows rapidly on MEA (38–42 mm) and colonies on YES has a bronze green reverse. Talaromyces fuscoviridis (CBS 193.69^T) colonies have dark green reverses on MEA and commonly produces red exudates on other media. Talaromyces stellenboschiensis (CBS 135665^T) grows faster on CYA at 25, 30 and 37 °C (40–45 mm; 48–53 mm; 35–40 mm) than the others. Morphological findings were supported by both multigene phylogenetic analyses and the extrolites produced by these species.

We cloned cDNAs of TmPAL1 and TmPAL2, which encode phenylalanine ammonia-lyases (PALs), and their corresponding genomic DNAs from the basidiomycete mushroom Tricholoma matsutake NBRC 30605. TmPAL1 and TmPAL2 contain several active sites, including the phenylalanine and histidine ammonia-lyases signature pattern. TmPAL1 and TmPAL2 are interrupted by seven and 11 introns, respectively, seven of which are located at the same positions. Transcript levels of TmPAL1 tended to be high in the pileus, stipe, and base of mature fruiting bodies, while transcript levels of TmPAL2 were highest in the gills. Furthermore, PAL activity and methyl cinnamate content were highest in the gills.

A powdery mildew was found on Castanopsis cuspidata (Fagaceae) in November 2013. Morphological and molecular analyses revealed that this species is new to science belonging to Erysiphe sect. Californiomyces that is mainly distributed in tropical regions of Asia. Erysiphe kissiana sp. nov. is the first species of the section Californiomyces found in Japan. This species has also an affinity to E. gracilis and E. japonica both occurring on the Fagaceae, which suggests that these powdery mildews have speciated on hosts of the Fagaceae.

Grifola frondosa is commercially produced year-round in large-scale facilities. However, the molecular mechanisms of fruiting body differentiation remain elusive, and understanding these mechanisms at the molecular genetic level is therefore important for improving the cultivation of this economically important mushroom. In this study, we focused on a previously reported putative transcription factor, Gf.CRZ1, with homology to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Crz1. Gf.CRZ1 is a candidate gene that is predicted to be involved in mutations affecting morphology and that is strongly expressed in some spontaneous mutant strains relative to wild type. Overexpression of Gf.CRZ1 in the wild-type strain leads to increased expression of Gf.ODC1 and Gf.FDH1, which are involved in oxalic acid degradation, similar to that of the mutant strains. Additionally, the Gf.CRZ1-overexpressing strains exhibited morphological defects including reduced colony growth rate and poorly developed aerial mycelia similar to mutant strains. These results suggested that overexpression of Gf.CRZ1 might affect regulation of oxalic acid degradation and be causally related to morphological defects via disturbances in oxalic acid metabolism.

The gene encoding the RNase T2 family enzyme, RNMel36, was cloned from Mortierella elongata (Zygomycota, Mortierellales) by polymerase chain reaction. The deduced protein sequence contains a signal sequence, catalytic domain, S/T rich domain and an extended C-terminal domain. RNase T2 homologs were also cloned from M. alpina, M. parvispora, M. polycephala, and M. verticillata. Their deduced catalytic and the C-terminal domains are highly conserved, unlike that of their S/T rich domains. This is the first report of cloning, heterologous expression, enzyme activity analysis and phylogenetic evaluation of an RNase T2 enzyme from zygomycotan fungi containing a characteristic C-terminal extension.

Fourteen Chinese Biological Species (CBS) of Armillaria were previously identified in a collection of Chinese isolates. CBS C, F, G, H, J, L, N and O remained unnamed, while the remaining isolates included A. borealis, A. cepistipes, A. gallica, A. mellea, A. sinapina and A. tabescens. CBS F was suggested to represent A. singula based on basidiocarp morphology. In this study, phylogenetic relationships between Chinese Armillaria isolates and those from other parts of the world were determined based on DNA sequence data. Results of this study suggest that CBS F might not represent A. singula, and that A. monadelpha (a name applied to the North American form of A. tabescens by some authors) and A. tabescens should be treated as a single species. Four main phylogenetic lineages, referred to as the A. ostoyae, A. gallica, A. tabescens and A. mellea clusters, were identified on the phylogenetic trees. The unnamed biological species grouped within the “A. gallica cluster” and were phylogenetically closely related. The results of this study contribute to our current understanding of the systematics of Armillaria from South East Asia where these fungi are relatively poorly known.

The conspicuous concentric zonation occurring in stromata of species of Daldinia, based on studies on D. concentrica and D. eschscholtzii, is shown to result from a regular alternation of the orientation of the hyphae. The rings are all produced within a single growing season. There is no evidence to suggest that they are a result of successive abortion of perithecia.

We have redefined Typhula variabilis, T. laschii, T. intermedia, and T. japonica on the basis of morphological and molecular evidence. Typhula variabilis, T. laschii, and T. intermedia, hitherto regarded as synonymous, were compared by critical observations of sclerotial rind cells. Rind cells of T. variabilis were thick and plateaued in the center, whereas of T. laschii had a ridge in the center. An isolate from winter wheat that we had previously identified as T. variabilis was reidentified as T. intermedia because it failed to mate with T. variabilis, even though rind cells of T. intermedia were digitate and occasionally had double-line contours, as in the case of T. variabilis. Sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer regions, including 5.8S, supported these differences, indicating that T. variabilis, T. laschii, and T. intermedia are separate species. Typhula japonica was characterized by two-spored basidia and basidiospores that often remained agglutinated with each other and germinated on basidiocarps. Its single basidiospores normally developed into dikaryotic mycelia and rarely into monokaryotic mycelia.