Pythium yorkensis sp nov., a potential soybean pathogen from southeastern Pennsylvania, USA

Biodiversity surveys of natural as well as agricultural ecosystems commonly reveal novel isolates. A new species, Pythium yorkensis sp. nov., is reported here, isolated from field soil during a survey of oomycete diversity in symptomless soybean across southeastern Pennsylvania. Molecular data from both mitochondrial and nuclear loci support a unique phylogenetic position for the isolates collected, and morphological features distinguish this new species from close relatives in Pythium clade J. Pathogenicity assays suggest that this new species may be a potential agricultural pathogen, as isolates were mildly aggressive on soybean. This study highlights the continued need for culture-based surveys in collaboration with high-throughput sequence-based approaches for environmental sampling.