Miscanthus-Plantagorust - Puccinia miscanthi

Puccinia miscanthi is similar to the other Asian rust species on Miscanthus, namely P. daisenensis Hiratsuka f., P. erythropus Dietel, P. miscanthi Miura, P. miscanthidii Doidge, and P. miscanthicola F.L. Tai & C.C. Cheo among others. Puccinia miscanthi has been reported on numerous grasses, including species of Saccharum, although it is not considered damaging to sugarcane (S. officinarum).

Puccinia miscanthi Miura 1928

Aecia on Plantago; aeciospores 20-30 × 17-26 µm, ellipsoid to globose, walls 1-1.5 µm thick, hyaline or pale yellowish, verrucose. Peridial cells 33-50 × 27-39 µm, with warts.

Uredinia mostly on abaxial leaf surface, cinnamon-brown with capitate paraphyses, walls 2-3 µm thick below, 6-10 (-15) µm apically, cinnamon; urediniospores 25-40 × 19-28 µm, mostly obovoid, walls 1.5-2.5 µm, thick, cinnamon or dark cinnamon-brown, apex slightly darker, echinulate, germ pores 4 or 5 equatorial.

Telia mostly on abaxial leaf surface, early exposed, black; teliospores 32-60 × 16-23 µm, mostly oblong-clavate, walls 1.5-2.3 µm, thick at sides, 4-6 µm apically, chestnut-brown; pedicels thick-walled.

See Hiratsuka et al. (1992) and Sato & Kakishima (1982) for more detailed descriptions.

Host range: Aecial stage known primarily on Plantago including P. asiatica, P. camtschatica, P. sawadai, P. togashii, but recently to also develop on Lysimachia clethroides.

Geographic distribution: Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Taiwan) with one report from Africa (Nigeria, Eboh, 1985).

Host range studies with inoculation experiments showed that this species can infect Lysimachia clethroides (Primulaceae), although such infection has not been seen in nature (Sato & Kakishima, 1982).

Uredial and telial stages on Miscanthus floridulus, M. oligostachys, M. sacchariflorus, M. sinensis including several varieties and subspecies. Also reported on related grasses including Imperata cylindrica (Eboh, 1985, Hiratsuka et al., 1992, Sho & Chin, 2004), Saccharum narenga (Watson, 1971; Tai, 1979), S. ravennae (Iqbal et al. 2008) and S. spontaneum (Wang & Zhuang, 1998; Zhuang, 2005), Sorghum vulgare (Tai, 1979) and Thysanolaena maxima (Wand & Zhuang, 1998; Zhuang, 2001).

References:

Cummins, G.B. 1971. The Rust Fungi of Cereals, Grasses and Bamboos. Springer-Verlag, New York, 570 pages.

Eboh, D.O. 1985. Nigerian graminicolous Uredinales: grass rusts from Nsukka -- II. Mycologia 77: 205-211.

Liu, P.S.W. 1977. A supplement to a host list of plant diseases in Sabah, Malaysia. Phytopathol. Pap. 21: 1-49.

Sato, T., and Kakishima, M. 1982. Life cycles and morphology of two Puccinia species that produce aecidioid sori on Lysimachia clethroides. Trans. Mycol. Soc. Japan 23: 293-300.

Shaw, D.E. 1984. Microorganisms in Papua New Guinea. Dept. Primary Ind., Res. Bull. 33: 1-344.

Zhuang, W.-Y., Ed. 2001. Higher Fungi of Tropical China. Mycotaxon, Ltd., Ithaca, NY, 485 pages.

Zhuang, W.-Y., Ed. 2005. Fungi of northwestern China. Mycotaxon, Ltd., Ithaca, NY, 430 pages.

Nomenclature

Specimens in BPI

Additional distribution data

Suggested citation: Yun, H.Y. Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA. . Invasive Fungi. Miscanthus-Plantagorust - Puccinia miscanthi. Retrieved November 21, 2009, from http://nt.ars-grin.gov/sbmlweb/fungi/index.cfm .