A New Record of Volutella ciliata Isolated from Crop Field Soil in Korea

During a survey of fungal species in South Korea, a species of Volutella ciliata was isolated and described based on the analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region of its rDNA and its morphological characteristics. This is the first record of Volutella ciliata isolated from crop field soil in Korea.

Penicillium menonorum: A Novel Fungus to Promote Growth and Nutrient Management in Cucumber Plants

The present study is the first report on the isolation of Penicillium menonorum from rhizosphere soil in Korea and its identification based on morphological characteristics and internal transcribed spacer gene sequence. The fungal isolate was named KNU-3 and was found to exhibit plant growth-promoting (PGP) activity through indole acetic acid (IAA) and siderophore production, as well as P solubilization. KNU-3 produced 9.7 mg/L IAA and solubilized 408 mg of Ca3PO4/L, and inoculation with the isolate significantly (p < 0.05) increased the dry biomass of cucumber roots (57%) and shoots (52%). Chlorophyll, starch, protein, and P contents were increased by 16%, 45%, 22%, and 14%, respectively, compared to plants grown in uninoculated soil. The fungus also increased soil dehydrogenase (30%) and acid phosphatase (19%) activities. These results demonstrate that the isolate KNU-3 has potential PGP attributes, and therefore it can be considered as a new fungus to enhance soil fertility and promote plant growth. Moreover, the discovery of PGP ability and traits of this fungus will open new aspects of research and investigations. In this study, plant growth promotion by P. menonorum KNU-3 is reported for the first time in Korea after its original description.

First Report of Mortierella alpina (Mortierellaceae, Zygomycota) Isolated from Crop Field Soil in Korea

A new recorded species of Mortierella was recovered during the investigation of fungal communities in soil samples collected from different locations of Gangwon-do, Korea. The species was identified and described as Mortierella alpina on the basis of phylogenetic analysis of internal transcribed spacer sequences and morphological characteristics. This species has not been officially reported from Korea thus far.