New species of phytopathogenic fungi discovered by researchers

Varanasi: A new species of phytopathogenic fungi, epicoccum indicum (Ascomycota, Didymellaceae), associated with an emerging leaf spot disease in Chrysopogon zizanioides (vetiver), was discovered by researchers at Banaras Hindu University.
Th team comprising of Raghvendra Singh, senior assistant professor, and Soumyadeep Rajwar, a research scholar from the department of botany at Banaras Hindu University, discovered the new fungus species.
Singh stated that the species was identified based on morpho-cultural characteristics and multigene molecular phylogenetic analyses. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that epicoccum indicum forms a distinct clade, separate from other related species, which justifies its classification as a new species.
The species name refers to India, where it was discovered. The voucher specimen is deposited in the Ajrekar Mycological Herbarium in Pune, and the live culture is stored at NFCCI, Pune. This discovery was published in Fungal Diversity, a prestigious Q1 journal with an impact factor of 24.5, on Dec 19.
Singh further mentioned that chrysopogon zizanioides, commonly known as vetiver or ‘khus', has various medicinal uses, including treatments for pain, inflammation, and infections. Early detection, diagnosis, and phylogenetic analysis of this pathogen are crucial for understanding its epidemiology and managing its impact on the plant.