Species of Armillaria in Tropical Africa : Root and Butt Rots

Uppsala

International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

1994

S. 402-410

zahlr. Lit. Ang.

Bandaufführung

13462

73688

Taxonomic research with west, central, east and south African Armillaria isolates has involved different investigations. Studies at Oxford and Nancy have employed various biochemical and molecular techniques: protein, isoenzyme and DNA analysis. Other types of taxonomic investigation and species characterisation (observation of vegetative mat morphology in culture, production of subterranean rhizomophs, fruiting in culture, ability to fruit, morphology of fruitbodies, study of monospore isolates, mating tests) have been carried out in Clermont-Ferrand and Oxford. In Florence research has concentrated on the production and morphology of fruitbodies. The two widespread and major groups of African Armillaria determined by this intergration of different approaches to taxonomic research correspond well to the two species described by the morphologists, Armillaria heimii and Armillaria mellea. However other taxonomic groups do exist, probably of more limited distribution. The large group of Armillaria heimii isolates is very variable with two types of sexual system (homothallism and unifactorial heterothallism) both west and east of the continent. African mellea is closely similar to temperate Armillaria mellea yet single spore isolates obtained have been crustose, indicative of homothallism.