Insights into Diversity, Distribution, and Systematics of Rust Genus Puccinia.

Puccinia, which comprises 4000 species, is the largest genus of rust fungi and one of the destructive plant pathogenic rust genera that are reported to infect both agricultural and nonagricultural plants with severe illnesses. The presence of bi-celled teliospores is one of the major features of these rust fungi that differentiated them from Uromyces, which is another largest genus of rust fungi. In the present study, an overview of the current knowledge on the general taxonomy and ecology of the rust genus Puccinia is presented. The status of the molecular identification of this genus along with updated species numbers and their current statuses in the 21st century are also presented, in addition to their threats to both agricultural and nonagricultural plants. Furthermore, a phylogenetic analysis based on ITS and LSU DNA sequence data available in GenBank and the published literature was performed to examine the intergeneric relationships of Puccinia. The obtained results revealed the worldwide distribution of Puccinia. Compared with other nations, a reasonable increase in research publications over the current century was demonstrated in Asian countries. The plant families Asteraceae and Poaceae were observed as the most infected in the 21st century. The phylogenetic studies of the LSU and ITS sequence data revealed the polyphyletic nature of Puccinia. In addition, the presences of too short, too lengthy, and incomplete sequences in the NCBI database demonstrate the need for extensive DNA-based analyses for a better understanding of the taxonomic placement of Puccinia.

A Comprehensive Account of the Rust Genus Skierka (Skierkaceae).

The rust genus Skierka belonging to the phylum Basidiomycota was described in 1900 by Raciborski with Skierka canarii as the type species. The published literature on this rust genus reveals its ambiguity in taxonomic placement. It was challenging to taxonomically delineate and precisely identify each species within this genus due to the species sharing some common characteristics. The latest studies based on morphology taxonomy and molecular characteristics, however, have solved this puzzle now and placed this genus in its new family Skierkaceae. To understand all about the genus Skierka, this compilation was carried out to unveil the general characteristics, history, diversity, distribution, ecology, morphology and molecular taxonomy of different species of Skierka. After exploring 14 species of Skierka, it was observed that this genus is distributed in seven plant families in 19 countries all over the world. The genus appears to be well-represented in Asian and South American counties. This rust has not been reported from any European countries to date. The morpho-taxonomy of all species is well studied, but molecular analyses are still required. Only two species of the genus namely S. robusta and S. diploglottidis were identified based molecular analyses. Therefore, further studies should be focused on epitypifying the taxa that are too old and updating their taxonomy based on molecular, biochemical, and physiological aspects along with morphological characteristics. Multiple analytical methods should be considered when dealing with multi-locus datasets. This will increase our understanding of the diversity, distribution, and identification of these rust fungi.

A Global Overview of Diversity and Phylogeny of the Rust Genus Uromyces.

Uromyces is the second-largest plant pathogenic rust genus, is responsible for numerous diseases, and has major effects on both agricultural and non-agricultural plants. The genus is generally characterized by its unicellular teliospores that help to characterize it and distinguish it from another important rust genus, Puccinia. In this study, a global overview of the diversity and distribution of Uromyces is presented based on both online and offline resources. The information obtained was analyzed for numerical and graphical summaries to provide the diversity and distribution of the genus by country and continent. Besides this, broad taxonomical aspects, a brief life cycle, and other comparative aspects on diversity and distribution were also provided. In addition, a phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS and nLSU DNA sequence data available in GenBank and published literature was performed to examine the intergeneric relationships of Uromyces. The results obtained revealed that the rust genus is found distributed over 150 countries, territories, and occupancies of the world on around 647 plant genera belonging to 95 plant families. Phylogenetic studies based on LSU and ITS sequence data revealed that Uromyces species are polyphyletic and require more DNA-based analyses for a better understanding of their taxonomic placement.

Current Insight into Traditional and Modern Methods in Fungal Diversity Estimates.

Fungi are an important and diverse component in various ecosystems. The methods to identify different fungi are an important step in any mycological study. Classical methods of fungal identification, which rely mainly on morphological characteristics and modern use of DNA based molecular techniques, have proven to be very helpful to explore their taxonomic identity. In the present compilation, we provide detailed information on estimates of fungi provided by different mycologistsover time. Along with this, a comprehensive analysis of the importance of classical and molecular methods is also presented. In orderto understand the utility of genus and species specific markers in fungal identification, a polyphasic approach to investigate various fungi is also presented in this paper. An account of the study of various fungi based on culture-based and cultureindependent methods is also provided here to understand the development and significance of both approaches. The available information on classical and modern methods compiled in this study revealed that the DNA based molecular studies are still scant, and more studies are required to achieve the accurate estimation of fungi present on earth.