Morphological and RAPD analyses of Cyathus olla from crop residue

Cyathus olla (Nidulariaceae), a bird's nest fungus, has the potential of being developed into a microbial inoculant aimed at reducing the incidence of stubble-borne diseases of canola. Isolates were cultured from field collected specimens and also obtained from culture collections for morphological and molecular studies. Initial examination of basidiocarps showed much variation among the various collections, and identified morphological characters that conflicted with the present taxonomic description of the species. Based on these observations, all field collected accessions were characterized on the basis of basidiocarp morphology. PCR-based RAPD analysis distinguished among accessions, and UPGMA analysis generated a dendrogram consisting of three distantly branched groups. Morphological and RAPD data supported the distinction of a new form of C. olla which is described as C. olla f. brodiensis.