First Report of Damping-Off Caused by Mucor circinelloides on Aconitum carmichaelii in China

Aconitum carmichaelii is a typical traditional Chinese medicinal herb that has been grown for more than 1,000 years in China (Singhuber et al. 2009). Surveys for damping-off of A. carmichaelii were conducted from 2016 to 2018 in three of China’s major planting areas (Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan Provinces). Damping-off was observed from April to June with disease incidences ranging from 5 to 11% in 10 investigated fields. In the early stage of disease development, the roots were fully covered by white mycelia. When the disease was severe, seedlings were stunted, turned yellow, had withered roots, and some eventually died. One fungus was consistently isolated from the diseased roots in the planting areas of Shaanxi Province (33°7′42″N, 107°20′27″E) on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. It was identified as Mucor circinelloides, based on morphological characteristics (Schipper 1976). Three isolates from different regions were characterized by yellowish colonies composed of tall and short sporangiophores 6 to 11 µm in width, terminal and globose sporangia, ellipsoidal sporangiospores 5 to 8 µm in length and 4 to 5 µm in width, and obovoid columellae. The internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) and the large subunit (28S) of ribosomal RNA gene from the representative isolate, MC180610 (GenBank accession nos. MK087755 and MT043749), were also amplified and sequenced using the universal primer sets, ITS1/ITS4 and NL1/NL4, respectively. BLAST analyses of the ITS sequence showed 99.38% identity with the type strain (CBS 195.68) of M. circinelloides (GenBank accession no. NR_126116), and the 28S sequence showed 99.44% identity with the strain (CBS 274.49) of M. circinelloides f. circinelloides (GenBank accession no. MH868051). The pathogenicity of M. circinelloides isolate (MC180610) to A. carmichaelii was examined by inoculating 150 ml of the hyphal suspension of M. circinelloides prepared from a 10-day-old potato dextrose broth culture into the soils of healthy potted A. carmichaelii plants. Uninoculated potted A. carmichaelii plants served as controls. There were three replicates for the inoculated and control plants. All the potted A. carmichaelii plants were incubated at 25°C under 12-h light and 12-h dark conditions. The symptoms that developed on M. circinelloides-inoculated A. carmichaelii plants were similar to those observed in the field; control plants did not show symptoms. The pathogen was reisolated from symptomatic roots onto the PDA medium and morphologically identified as M. circinelloides. M. circinelloides has been reported as a pathogen of papaya (Carica papaya), mandarin fruits (Citrus reticulata), and sweet potatoes (Ipomea batatas) (Cruz-Lachica et al. 2018; Oladoye et al. 2016; Saito et al. 2016), but it has never been reported on A. carmichaelii before. This is the first report of damping-off caused by M. circinelloides on A. carmichaelii. This pathogen may present a threat to the production of A. carmichaelii in China.