A New Host Record of Bipolaris panici-miliacei from the Roots of a Pioneer Plant (Saccharum rufi pilum) in an Abandoned Phosphate Mining Site in Southwest China

Abstract

The discharge of phosphorus from abandoned mining sites has resulted in a signifi cant ecological problem within the southern watershed of Dianchi Lake, Yunnan Province, China. The latest research has revealed a signifi cant prevalence of Saccharum rufi pilum in soil contaminated with phosphorus. In our investigation, we isolated an endophytic fungus from the root of Saccharum rufi pilum in an open-pit phosphate mining region in Yunnan, China, and the isolated strain well fi ts the concept of genus Bipolaris (Pleosporaceae). Morphological characteristics combined with the phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF-1α) gene revealed that the fungus is Bipolaris panici-miliacei. This article presents a comprehensive description, a color photo plate and a phylogenetic tree of B. panici-miliacei. This research is valuable for restoring vegetation in abandoned phosphate mining sites.