The molecular confirmation of foliar pathogens of pines in the Southern Hemisphere with special reference to species of Lophodermium

This data focuses on what is known regarding the pine needle diseases that  have been reported affecting non-native Pinus spp. commercially grown in the  Southern Hemisphere.The data is provided in a table showing where in the Southern Hemisphere these diseases have previously been reported and for which of these reports the causal agent has been confirmed using molecular techniques. Photoplates are also provided in the figures for each of the eight pathogens, showing their disease symptoms, fruiting structures on the pine needles and culture and spore morphology.

Also stated is experimental data that focussed on identifying isolates of Lophodermium spp. obtained from non-native Pinus spp. in the Southern Hemisphere using DNA sequence and morphological data.  Phylogenetic analyses of multiple gene regions (ITS, ACT and TEF1) revealed the presence of five Lophodermium species on non-native pines in the Southern Hemisphere. The tables  provide the species identities, host and location and date of collection. Morphological analyses were performed directly from infected needles to produce photoplates for each of the species considered and a table was constructued comparing these morphological descriptions to the descriptions of the known species. In addition, the species Meloderma desmazierii was also confirmed for the first time from Chile, and a morphological description is provided in the supplementary figures.

The finding from this data illustrate how anthropogenic activities have led to the introduction and distribution of microbial organisms into commercial plantations of non-native Pinus spp. in the Southern Hemisphere and how important it is to use sequence data in conjunction with morphological data to accurately identiy these fungal species.