Morphology and molecular phylogeny of Erysiphe japonica var. japonica found on Quercus aliena in Korea

Abstract

In October 2022, Erysiphe powdery mildew from the section Typhulochaeta was found on Quercus aliena for the first time in Korea. Based on morphological characteristics and molecular-phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) gene sequences of the rDNA, the fungus was identified as Erysiphe japonica var. japonica. This is the first report of E. japonica var. japonica in Korea and the third report of this mildew on Q. aliena, with this current fungus-host association spreading to China and Japan. Based on Korean samples, this study provides detailed morphology and molecular phylogeny of E. japonica var. japonica.