Ophiostomatoid fungi isolated from Pinus radiata logs imported from New Zealand to Korea

Abstract

Ophiostomatoid fungi discolor lumber, logs, and tree sapwood. Stained wood has a lower market value and can be refused by importing customers because such products can potentially carry pathogenic fungi. Little information is available on the ophiostomatoid fungi that colonize Pinus radiata D. Don (radiata pine) logs imported from New Zealand into Korea. In this work, we attempted to identify the native and non-native fungi colonizing wood imported into Korea. At least 12 species of ophiostomatoid fungi, including an unknown Ophiostoma sp. A, were identified among the fungi-staining radiata pine. They were Leptographium procerum (Kendr.) Wingf., Leptographium bistatum Kim & Kim, Ophiostoma floccosum Mathiesen, Ophiostoma huntii (Rob.) Hoog & Scheff., Ophiostoma ips (Rumbold) Nannf., Ophiostoma nigrocarpum (David.) Hoog, Ophiostoma piceae (Münch) H. & P. Sydow, Ophiostoma piliferum (Fries) H. & P. Sydow, Ophiostoma quercus (Georgév.) Nannf., Ophiostoma radiaticola Kim et al., and Ophiostoma setosum Uzunovic et al. Of these species, O. floccosum was the dominant species in both logs and boards. We confirmed that many of the sapstain species that we isolated have been previously reported in Korea. However, four species, O. radiatcola, O. setosum, O. huntii, and O. nigrocarpum have not been reported previously in Korea. We also found the new species, L. bistatum, along with an unknown Ophiostoma sp. A.Key words: radiata pine, ophiostomatoid fungi, New Zealand, non-native organisms, β-tubulin gene.