2015년부터 2016년까지 경상남도농업기술원 약용자원연구소 연구 포장에 재배 중인 갯기름나물에서 흰비단병이 발생하였다. 갯기름나물의 잎자루 부위가 수침상으로 물러지고 부패되어 서서히 시들면서 결국 포기 전체가 말라 죽는 병징을 보였다. 잎자루의 병반부와 토양 표면에 흰색의 곰팡이가 발생하며 갈색의 작은 둥근 균핵이 많이 형성되었다. 감자 한천 배지에서 균총은 흰색이고 갈색의 작고 둥근 균핵이 많이 형성되었다. 균핵의 크기는 1-3 ㎜이며 균사의 폭은 4-9 ㎛였다. 균사 생육과 균핵 형성 적온은 30℃이었고 균사 특유의 clamp connection이 관찰되었다. 병원성 검정을 수행하였고 인공감염과 원인 곰팡이의 재분리를 통해 Koch의 가설을 만족하였다. 분자 동정을 위해 원인 곰팡이의 전체 ITS rDNA 서열을 분석하고 계통 발생 관계를 분석하였다. 갯기름나물에서 분리한 곰팡이는 A. rolfsii의 참조 균주를 포함하는 clade r-2 그룹에 포함된 것을 확인하였고, A. rolfsii 특이적 PCR 진단을 수행하여 540-bp PCR 산물 생산을 확인하였다. 균학적 특성, ITS rDNA 염기분석, 종 특이적 PCR 분석 및 숙주 식물의 병원성으로 이 곰팡이를 Athelia rolfsii로 동정하였다. 이 연구는 A. rolfsii에 의한 갯기름나물의 흰비단병에 대한 세계적으로 첫 번째 보고에 해당한다.
From 2015 to 2016, southern blight was observed in coastal hog fennel grown in the research field of Medicinal Resources Research Institute, Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services. Initially, water-soaked lesions appeared on the affected plant parts. The severely infected plants were blighted and eventually died. White mold developed on the lesion of the petiole and the soil surface, and many small round, brown sclerotia were formed. The colonies were white and many small, round, brown sclerotia were formed on potato agar medium. The size of the sclerotia was 1-3 ㎜ and the width of the hyphae was 4-9 ㎛. The optimal temperature for mycelial growth and sclerotia formation was 30℃, and a clamp connection peculiar to mycelium was observed. The pathogenicity test was performed, and Koch's postulate was satisfied through artificial infection and re-isolation of the causative fungus. For molecular identification, the entire ITS rDNA sequence of the causative fungus was analyzed and phylogenetic relationships were analyzed. It was confirmed that the fungus isolated from coastal hog fennel was included in the clade r-2 group including the reference strains of A. rolfsii. Additionally, A. rolfsii-specific PCR analysis was performed to confirm the production of a 540-bp PCR amplicon. Based on mycological characteristics, ITS rDNA sequencing, species-specific PCR analysis, and pathogenicity of the host plant, this fungus was identified as Athelia rolfsii. This is the first report of southern blight on coastal hog fennel caused by A. rolfsii worldwide.