First record of Talaromyces domesticus as a postharvest pathogen of tulip bulbs in the Kashmir Himalaya
摘要
Tulips (genus Tulipa L., family Liliaceae), represent more than 150 described species and thousands of cultivars that are extensively cultivated in temperate areas. They are much appreciated for their colorful flowers and are grown on a large scale for landscaping, cut flowers, and pot plant crops. Nevertheless, tulip production is limited by fungal diseases that lower the bulb quality and yield. So, the present study was carried out to unravel the causal organisms of postharvest bulb rot of tulips in Kashmir Himalaya. In addition to certain already reported species Talaromyces domesticus was found as a new pathogen causing postharvest bulb rot of tulips in Kashmir Himalaya. The organism was identified by polyphasic approaches viz. cultural, microscopic, and molecular methods. Comprehensive morphological descriptions, color photographs, pathogenicity tests and molecular phylogenetic analyses are provided to validate our findings.