Flower Bud Chloranthy Disease Caused by Caeoma makinoi on Prunus mume

Abnormal chloranthy was observed on Prunus mume trees grown in an orchard in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk province, Korea in 2015. Flower buds showing chloranthy were covered with numerous orange-colored sori, which were confirmed to contain spermogonia and aeciospores by stereo microscopy and light microscopy. When observed using scanning electron microscope, the aeciospores were globose, ellipsoid, or ovoid, and measured 22.8~35.6 × 19.8~36.8 μm, with a verrucae wall ornamentation. To construct a phylogeny, the large and small subunit regions of rDNA were sequenced and compared with those of allied species by the maximum likelihood method. The isolated fungus species showed high similarities with Caeoma makinoi (Teleomorph: Blastospora smilacis), which was previously isolated from P. mume in Japan. Therefore, we initially report this fungal agent parasitic on P. mume as C. makinoi in Korea and name the disease it causes as “flower bud chloranthy disease”.