Tom Creswell, Purdue University (NCPDN)
The Communicator: Volume 5, Issue 5, May 2024

A group of authors from multiple universities in the US and Germany have undertaken a re-evaluation of powdery mildew host records worldwide (Bradshaw, et al). Beginning with records in the US National Fungus Collections fungus-host dataset (Farr et al.) they updated taxonomy of both pathogen and host names using primary sources, recent monographs on the Erysiphaceae, and multiple databases and other sources for host names.

The methodology used is also of interest in that it provides an overview of plant taxonomy sources outside the usual USDA Plants Database we often use, including Plants of the World Online (https://powo.science.kew.org/) and others. The final product is a downloadable 72,347 line Excel spreadsheet* that contains columns for original and accepted fungus and host names, location data (where known) and citations. This new dataset should prove a valuable resource for diagnosticians and others as a supplement to the US National Fungus Collection database.
 
*The spreadsheet is accessed by going to the publication and clicking on the e-Xtra logo.
 
Bradshaw, M.J., D. Boufford, U. Braun, S. Moparthi, K. Jellings, A. Maust, B. Pandey, S. Slack, and D. H. Pfister. An In-Depth Evaluation of Powdery Mildew Hosts Reveals One of the World’s Most Common and Widespread Groups of Fungal Plant Pathogens. Published Online: 29 Feb 2024 https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-07-23-1471-RE
 
Farr, D. F., Rossman, A. Y., and Castlebury, L. A. 2023. United States National Fungus Collections Fungus-Host Dataset. Ag Data Commons. https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/1524414

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