Phoma herbarum

Phoma herbarum Westend., Bull. Acad. R. Sci. Belg., Cl. Sci. 19(no. 3): 118 (1852).

Index Fungorum number: IF 171008; Facesoffungi number: FoF 11525, Fig. 1

Description:

Saprobic on host. Sexual morph: Unknown. Asexual morph: Conidiomata 150–170 μm diam., 85–95 μm high, pycnidial, solitary, subglobose to elliptical. Ostiole single. Pycnidial wall 8–15 μm wide, pseudoparenchymatous, 3–5-layered, comprising isodiametric cells. Conidiogenous cells 3–5 × 2–3 (x̄ = 4.9 × 2.7 μm, n = 10), phialidic, hyaline, smooth, doliiform. Conidia 6–7 × 1.9–3.0 (x̄ = 6.2 × 2.5 μm, n = 10), oblong to ellipsoidal, smooth- and thin-walled, hyaline, sometimes uniseptate.

Material examined: The United States, Hawaii, Oahu, Kukuihaele, on dead stems, 2 August 1921, F.L. Stevens (BISH 575938).

Fig. 1 Phoma herbarum (BISH 575938). a, b Herbarium material. c Appearance of ascomata on host surface. d Section through ascomata. e Peridium. f–h Conidiogenesis and conidiogenous cells. i Conidia. Scale bars: c = 1000 μm, d = 100 μm, e = 20 μm, f–i = 10 μm.

Importance and distribution

Species of Phoma are ubiquitous and commonly occur in soil. Most of them are pathogenic infecting plant roots and causing disease spot or blight diseases (Rai et al. 2022).

Industrial relevance and applications

Phoma is useful to medical and pharmaceutical industry. Phoma produces wide range of chemicals such as ergosterol peroxide which induces apopotosis in human lung adenocarcinoma cells (Wu et al. 2018), macrophin which has cytotoxic activity (Nalli et al. 2019) amongst others. Phoma macrostoma is used as a bioherbicide to control broadleaved weeds (Hynes 2018).

Quarantine significance

Phoma is of major quarantine significance as several species cause diseases on wide range of plants. Cabbage and cauliflower (Brassica sp.) black leg is caused by Phoma species (Steinbach et al. 1992). Phoma basal rot of Romaine lettuce in California is caused by P. exigua (Koike et al. 2016).

Biochemical importance of the genus, chemical diversity or applications

Phoma produces wide range of chemical such as phomadecalins A−D and phomapentenone A (Che et al. 2002). A phytotoxin, betaenone C, and its related metabolites is reported from P. betae (Ichihara et al. 1983). Devys et al. (1984) reported phomenoic acid, an antifungal compound isolated from P. lingam. Wasabidienone-E, a cyclohexadienone derivative was reported from P. wasabiae (Soga et al. 1988). Ayer et al. (1994) reported phomalone, an antifungal metabolite of P. etheridgei. Shantha (1999) showed that Phoma sp. is able to degrade AFB₁ aflatoxins produced by Aspergillus. Phoma species is also reported as a producer of isocoumarins (Sørensen et al. 2010). Dai et al. (2010) reported metabolites from Phoma sp. associated with Aizoon canariense. Hussain et al. (2014) reported antifungal, antibacterial, and algicidal chemical constituents from endophytic Phoma sp. one new dihydrofuran derivative, named phomafuranol and three known compounds, phomalacton, (3R)-5-hydroxymellein and emodin. Wu et al. (2018) found ergosterol peroxide from the marine Phoma sp. which induces ROS-dependent apoptosis and autophagy in human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Peng et al. (2020) reported ergocytochalasin A, a polycyclic merocytochalasan from an endophytic P. multirostrata. Phoma sorghina, P. exigua, P. herbarum and P. fimeti produces pigments in culture which have antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria (Kadu 2021).

There are 3297 Phoma epithets in Index Fungorum (2022), many species have been transferred to other genera such as Asteromella, Calophoma, Ceuthospora, Cyanophomella, Diaporthe, Didymella, Epicoccum, Fusoidiella, Heterophoma, Hypocenia, Lecanactis, Leptosphaeria, Macrophoma, Neocucurbitaria, Nothophoma, Phomopsis, Sporonema, Stagonosporopsis, Stemphylium, Subplenodomus and Sydowia. Phoma comprises 2218 species known on a wide range of plants. Phoma has a worldwide distribution. Phoma is very species rich but with taxonomic drawbacks. A revision of Phoma is indeed very challenging. Molecular data is needed from more taxa to understand the taxonomy of the genus.

References

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Aveskamp MM, Verkley GJM, Gruyter J de, Murace MA et al. 2009 – DNA phylogeny reveals polyphyly of Phoma section Peyronellaea and multiple taxonomic novelties. Mycologia 101, 363–382.

Ayer W, Jimenez D. 2011 – Phomalone, an Antifungal Metabolite of Phoma etheridgei. Canadian Journal of Chemistry 72, 2326–2332.

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Che Y, Gloer JB, Wicklow DT. 2002 – Phomadecalins A-D and phomapentenone A: new bioactive metabolites from Phoma sp. NRRL 25697, a fungal colonist of Hypoxylon stromata. Journal of Natural Products 65, 399–402.

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Devys M, Férézou JP, Topgi RS, Barbier M, Bousquet JF, Kollmann A. 1984 – Structure and biosynthesis of phomenoic acid, an antifungal compound isolated from Phoma lingam Tode. Journal of the Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 1, 2133–2137.

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Nalli Y, Arora P, Khan S, Malik F, Riyaz-Ul-Hassan S, Gupta VK, Ali A. 2019 –Isolation, structural modification of macrophin from endophytic fungus Phoma macrostoma and their cytotoxic potential. Medicinal Chemistry Research 28, 260–266.

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Reddy PV, Patel R, White JF. 1998 – Phylogenetic and developmental evidence supporting reclassification of cruciferous pathogens Phoma lingam and Phoma wasabiae in Plenodomus. Botany 76, 1916–1922.

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Sørensen JL, Aveskamp MM, Thrane U, Andersen B. 2010 – Chemical characterization of Phoma pomorum isolated from Danish maize. International Journal of Food Microbiology 136, 310–7.

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