An expanded concept of and five new species in the Latin American clade of .

The genus contains a number of emerging plant pathogens, mostly members of the Latin American Clade (LAC), in which there are several unresolved taxonomic controversies. Among the most important are Brazilian pathogens in the complex, and . Representatives of and from India and China, respectively, were shown to be fully interfertile in laboratory matings, and hybrids between the putative species were identified on in India.

Genetic Bottlenecks for Two Populations of Ceratocystis fimbriata on Sweet Potato and Pomegranate in China.

Chinese isolates of Ceratocystis fimbriata from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and pomegranate (Punica granatum) were genetically compared with a worldwide collection of isolates from a variety of hosts. Isolates from black-rotted storage roots of sweet potato in China, Japan, Australasia, and the United States had identical internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences and only minor variation in microsatellite alleles. Sequences of their mating type genes were most similar to those of isolates from various hosts in Ecuador, a center of diversity for sweet potato.

New Record of Ceratocystis fimbriata Causing Wilt of Pomegranate in India.

Wilt of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) was first noticed in two areas of the Bijapur district (16°49'N; 75°43'E) of India in 1990. Around 1993, rapid spread of this disease was observed in the entire Bijapur district.