Identity and sex of fungal species associated with Sigatoka disease symptoms of banana
Bananas, one of the world’s most important staple food crops, are sensitive to Sigatoka disease, which is a serious and economically important leaf spot disease caused by several species of the fungal genus Mycosphaerella. Disease control of the Sigatoka complex is mainly achieved by means of fungicide application, which is ecologically and economically unfavourable. The identity of all Mycosphaerella species contributing to this disease complex is not yet fully known due to the specialist knowledge required for conventional identification. In this study, molecular and morphological results revealed that more than 20 Mycosphaerella species occur on banana, eight of which are new to science. Molecular-based tests, which can be implemented in a plant disease management system before disease symptoms appear, were designed to detect the primary agents of the disease complex. Furthermore, the genes involved in sexual reproduction and mating of the primary causal agents were used to study the evolution of these important pathogens.
Titel proefschrift: "Phylogeny, detection, and mating behaviour of Mycosphaerella spp. occurring on banana".