Gibberella xylarioides sensu lato from Coffea canephora:: a new mating population in the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex

Gibberella xylarioides Heim & Saccas (presumed anamorph, Fusarium xylarioides Steyaert) is the causal agent of coffee wilt disease, an economically important tracheomycosis in Africa. In vitro crosses carried out with Congolese, Ugandan, and Tanzanian single-ascospore/conidial isolates originating from diseased Coffea canephora/excelsa demonstrated a heterothallic mating system, controlled by a single locus with two allelles, MAT-1 and MAT-2. Compatible isolates produced fertile perithecia within 2 to 8 weeks after mating. Mating type (MAT) was characterized by PCR with primer pairs previously developed for the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex (GFC) and for Fusarium oxysporum. All strains analyzed were morphologically identical and corresponded to Booth's description of the female F. xylarioides strain. Based on crossing results and MAT-2/translation elongation 1-alpha (tef) sequence data, G. xylarioides, as currently understood, is demonstrated to encompass at least three groups: G. xylarioides sensu strictu la, defined hitherto by two historical West African strains originating from the severe 1930s to 1950s epidemic (CBS 25852 and CBS 74979); G. xylarioides sensu strictu Ib, defined by two historical Central African lowland strains (DSMZ 62457 and ATCC 15664); and G. xylarioides sensu lato II, containing Congolese, Ugandan, and Tanzanian C. canephoralexcelsa isolates. Infertility of crosses between the coffee wilt pathogen and known GFC mating populations demonstrates that G. xylarioides sensu lato constitutes a new biological species within the G. fujikaroi complex. MUCL 44532/ MUCL 43887 and MUCL 35223/MUCL 44549 are proposed as G. xylarioides sensu lato II MAT-1/MAT-2 reference mating type tester strains.