Green and brown bridges between weeds and crops reveal novel Diaporthe species in Australia

Diaporthe (syn. Phomopsis) species are well-known saprobes, endophytes or pathogens on a range of plants. Several species have wide host ranges and multiple species may sometimes colonise the same host species. This study describes eight novel Diaporthe species isolated from live and/or dead tissue from the broad acre crops lupin, maize, mungbean, soybean and sunflower, and associated weed species in Queensland and New South Wales, as well as the environmental weed bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotundata) in eastern Australia. The new taxa are differentiated on the basis of morphology and DNA sequence analyses based on the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region, and part of the translation elongation factor-1 alpha and beta-tubulin genes. The possible agricultural significance of live weeds and crop residues ('green bridges') as well as dead weeds and crop residues ('brown bridges') in aiding survival of the newly described Diaporthe species is discussed.