Multi-loci identification of Diaporthe fungi isolated from the medicinal plant Costus spiralis (Jacq.) Roscoe (Costaceae)

The purpose of this study is to identify species from genus Diaporthe associated to a medicinal plant Costus spiralis by ITS, EF 1-α, TUB, and CAL gens. The 30 isolates from the genus Diaporthe associated with the medicinal plant Costus spiralis were characterized based on morphological characters and the micro-culture technique and grouped by DNA fingerprinting with the ISSP gene. Afterwards, a total of 12 isolates were selected for the identification of the species based on the comparative research on the BLAST through the sequences of the ITS gene. Phylogenetic Tree of Maximum Likelihood were generated with the ITS gene individually and with the genes ITS, TUB, CAL and EF1-α combined with the Diaporthe species recognized and with the additional sequences obtained from GenBank for these species. It was not possible to characterize the 30 isolates microscopically and macromorphologically through the microculture technique and the macromorphological characteristics. The 12 isolates selected based on the DNA fingerprinting profile identified phylogenetically, revealed five distinct species of Diaporthe which are present in C. spiralis. The molecular analyses used in this study are excellent alternatives for species-level identification of Diaporthe associated with medicinal plants. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.