Diversity and potential impact of Calonectria species in Eucalyptus plantations in Brazil

Species in the genus Calonectria (Hypocreales) represent an important group of plant pathogenic fungi that cause serious losses to plant crops in tropical and subtropical climates. Calonectria leaf blight is currently one of the main impediments to Eucalyptus cultivation in Brazil, and various species of Calonectria have been associated with this disease. Since most previous identifications were solely based on morphological characters, much of the published literature needs to be re-evaluated. The aim of this study was thus to identify and determine the phylogenetic relationships among species that occur in the Eucalyptus growing regions of Brazil by using partial sequences of the β-tubulin, calmodulin, translation elongation factor 1-α and histone H3 gene regions. Based on extensive collections from soil and infected eucalypt leaf samples from plantations, phylogenetic inference revealed the Ca. pteridis complex to be the most common species complex present in Eucalyptus plantations in Brazil. By elucidating taxa in the Ca. pteridis, Ca. cylindrospora and Ca. candelabra species complexes, 20 novel Calonectria species were identified, and a new name in Calonectria provided for Cylindrocladium macrosporum as Ca. pseudopteridis.