First detection of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum associated with canker disease in Egyptian Ficus trees

In September 2013, a canker disease of Ficus nitida and F. benjamina was reported for the first time in Assiut governorate, Egypt. Infected samples were collected from various locations. Pure cultures of a fungus were isolated on potato dextrose agar at 25°C from diseased plants. Morphological investigation and DNA sequencing showed that the causal agent was Neoscytalidium dimidiatum. A pathogenicity test conducted using 2‐year‐old plants of each host gave 70%–80% infection, and the pathogen was reisolated from the inoculated plants. A pure culture of N. dimidiatum was deposited in the culture collection of the Assiut University Mycological Centre (AUMC) under the code AUMC 9293 and the ITS sequence was placed in NCBI under accession number KX985929 .     

Biodegradation Mechanism of Phenanthrene by Halophilic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hortaea</Emphasis> sp. B15

This aim of the study is to investigate a halophilic bacterium Hortaea sp. B15, isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil for biodegradation of phenanthrene. Hortaea sp. B15 has the ability to completely degrade phenanthrene (100 mg/L) under salinity 10% within 1-week incubation. The metabolitic product of phenanthrene was identified and assayed by using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer and mass spectral analysis. Result revealed that Hortaea sp. B15 metabolized phenanthrene to form 9,10-phenanthrene quinone, salicylic acid, and gentisic acid. Hortaea sp. B15 has an efficient utilization of phenanthrene in high-saline liquid medium. All the results indicated that the fungus has a promising application for the study of high-molecular-weight PAH biodegradation and contaminated saline-alkali soil bioremediation.