Status of Dutch Elm Disease Fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi and Assessment of Its Temporal Variability in Croatia.

ABSTRACT: Dutch elm disease (DED) was originally caused by the ascomycete Ophiostoma ulmi, which has been replaced by a more virulent species, O. novo-ulmi, divided into subsp. novo-ulmi and subsp. americana. Permeable reproductive barriers, a period of co-occurrence of O. ulmi and O. novo-ulmi, and the current overlap of O. novo-ulmi subspecies have been important in shaping the present O. novo-ulmi populations in Europe, which were initially clonal, predominantly of the MAT-2 type. This study confirmed the persistence of O. novo-ulmi in Croatia over the years, although at some forest sites, the diseased elms were not detected. The methodology used to assess changes in O. novo-ulmi populations was based on the col1 and cu genes, which have subspecies-specific nucleotide differences, analysis of MAT

SUBMITTER: Katanic Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12748122 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature