A Monograph of Verticillium Section Prostrata

Section Prostrata of the genus Verticillium was introduced by GAMS (1971) to separate verticillium-like anamorphs of the Clavicipitaceae from other species of the genus that were known or supposed to have affinities with other families of the Hypocreales. Other sections of Verticillium were subsequently described by GAMS & VAN ZAAYEN (1982). MESSNER et al. (1996) showed that the most important plant pathogens of the genus, which still are most frequently investigated, have affinities with the Phyllachorales. Also the type species of the genus, Verticillium luteo-album (i.e. V. tenerum) has affinities with this order (ZARE et al. 2000 - part 1) and its connection with a ‘Nectria inventa’ teleomorph supposed by PETHYBRIDGE (1919) is erroneous (ZARE et al. 2004). The inclusion of these plant pathogens together with the unrelated, often valuable biocontrol organisms of sect. Prostrata in one and the same genus Verticillium is undesirable for both scientific and practical reasons. Plant-associated Verticillium species recently been studied using RFLPs of the ITS region, β-tubulin and mitochondrial DNA (ZARE 2003) and ITS sequences (BARBARA & CLEWES 2003).