Mycology and Phytopathology

Talaromyces is a monophyletic genus of microscopic fungi which contain a large number of species, including clinically and biotechnologically significant ones. Since 2011 when species of Penicillium subg. Biverticillium were transferred to a Talaromyces, interest in the genus has grown significantly, a large number of new species have been described from various regions, especially Asia and North America. According to the generalized literature data on the 2023 year a genus Talaromyces have a 198 species. This paper provides an overview of the history and changes in the genus system, discusses the difficulties in identifying both using morphological and molecular characters, and gives information about genetic regions that are most convenient for the DNA barcoding procedure. Separately, provides a data about regions and substrates.

Microfungi of the genus Aspergillus are well-known as producers of fibrinolytic and plasminogen activating proteases. But for development of new antithrombotics we should use strains which extracellular proteases correspond to these criteria: 1) demonstrate anticoagulant, fibrinolytic and plasminogen activating activities at the same time; 2) have narrow substrate specificity; 3) are able to hydrolase substrates of two following each other proteins of hemostasis system. According to these criteria Aspergillus tabacinus was chosen. Maximal activities of culture liquid of this strain grown in optimal conditions were 87 Е × 10^–3 with activated protein C substrate S-2366 and 73 Е × 10^–3 with thrombin substrate Chromozym TH. Fibrinogenolytic activity of lyophilized enzyme preparation after ammonium sulfate precipitation and dialysis was 779.1 Е/mg of protein.

Studies have been carried out on strains of bacteria and fungi isolated in Uzbekistan, which can be used in the biological control of potato late blight. Testing was carried out on two strains of Phytophthora infestans — TVKT-1 and 4MSLK 26 — isolated from affected potato in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan and in the Moscow region of Russia, respectively. In relation to these strains, the antagonistic activity of strains of fungi belonging to the genus Trichoderma and bacteria of the genera Bacillus and Pseudomonas isolated in Uzbekistan was studied. The maximum antagonistic activity was shown by the Bacillus safensis 3/11 strain, which inhibited the growth of the mycelium of the TVKT-1 strain by 61.9% and 4MSLK 26 by 50%. The strains B. licheniformis 6/25 and Pseudomonas alcaliphila 2/18 were also quite effective. All studied strains of fungi of the genus Trichoderma showed high antagonistic activity; the most active strain was T. asperellum Uz-A4, which inhibited the growth of mycelium of strains TVKT-1 and 4MSLK 26 by 77.1 and 73.1%, respectively.

Fusarium strains isolated from the different plant hosts and formerly identified as Fusarium subglutinans s. l. according to morphological characteristics were analyzed in detail. Based on phylogenetic analysis of three loci (TEF, tub, and RPB2) two strains isolated from stem of wheat and root of rape were re-identified as F. temperatum. This is first report of rape and wheat as a novel plant host for F. temperatum that mainly associated with maize. This is also the first detection of F. temperatum in Russia. Other strains turned out to be F. subglutinans s.str. The examination of morphological characters has not revealed remarkable variation between the species: the features of F. temperatum and F. subglutinans are sufficiently similar to exclude confidence in identification based on visual assessment. Two F. temperatum strains possess alternate MAT idiomorphs, whereas the both F. subglutinans strains contain only MAT-1 idiomorph. Fertile crossings were observed between two F. temperatum strains in the laboratory conditions. Both F. temperatum strains produced beauvericin in high amounts of 1665 and 6106 μg kg^-1 in contrast to F. subglutinans strains. Additionally, one F. temperatum strain produced 3407 μg kg^-1 moniliformin. No one from the analyzed strains produced the fumonisins. The differentiation of the F. temperatum and F. subglutinans species is possible only with the involvement of molecular genetics and chemotaxonomic methods.

In Plyussky district of the Pskov region, an experiment was carried out to infect birch trees with the Chaga pathogen Inonotus obliquus in an 18-year-old postagrogenic birch forest. After 10 years of the experiment, sterile bodies of Chaga were found on six out of ten trees, swelling of the bark was found in one tree, and one tree died from Phellinus nigricans. Infected trees continued to grow at a rate no different from the rest of the forest. Sterile growths were mainly located above the inoculation site. The study showed that the production of Chaga raw materials can be considered as an additional form of forest management in the Non-Black Earth Region of Russia.