Brett Summerell

Brett Summerell
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Sydney

BScAgr (Hons 1), PhD (Sydney)

About

284
Publications
129,700
Reads
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16,522
Citations
Additional affiliations
January 1989 - August 2019
Independent Researcher
Independent Researcher
Position
  • Managing Director
January 1989 - May 2016
Independent Researcher
Independent Researcher
Position
  • Managing Director
January 1989 - present
Royal Botanic Gardens
Position
  • Deputy Executive Director, Science and Conservation

Publications

Publications (284)
Article
Full-text available
The oomycete genus Phytophthora includes plant pathogens that pose significant threats to agricultural systems, natural ecosystems and urban forests. Urban forests are increasingly recognized for their role in mitigating climate change impacts and urban greening initiatives are underway worldwide. However, research suggests that the urban forest is...
Article
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Plant pathology researchers play a pivotal role in thought leadership and its translation to action regarding the recognition and demonstration of the value of Indigenous knowledge and science. For many scientists, navigating the space of Indigenous rights and perspectives is challenging. In pursuit of a cultural shift in research and development w...
Article
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Fusarium brachygibbosum Padwick is a phytopathogen with a widespread distribution, infecting various host plants. In South Africa, there is a limited number of studies on the genetic diversity of fusaria, particularly in undisturbed soils. In the current study, the genetic diversity of F. brachygibbosum was investigated using inter-simple sequence...
Article
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As part of the International Plant Sentinel Network program monitoring high priority plant species from the United Kingdom, soil samples were collected from an asymptomatic Quercus robur (English Oak) at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Mount Tomah (NSW). The soil samples were baited for Phytophthora with detection based on a Phytophthora genus s...
Article
The majority of Australia’s unique flora has evolved in isolation separated from many of the world’s major plant pathogens. As these pathogens have made their way into Australia the impact on plant species, ecological communities and the fauna that depends on them has been dramatic. Two plant diseases, Phytophthora root rot and Myrtle Rust, are use...
Article
Full-text available
Members from the genus Fusarium can infect a broad range of plants and threaten agricultural and horticultural production. Studies on the diversity of Fusarium occurring in natural ecosystems have received less attention than the better known phytopathogenic members of the genus. This study identified Fusarium species from soils with low anthropoge...
Article
Early detection of exotic pests is key to a timely response for enabling options for eradication and future management. It is widely recognised that engaging the public and industry in general surveillance significantly increases the chance of detecting newly arrived pests and pathogens. Once a new pest or pathogen is detected, Australia has guidel...
Article
Many species in the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) have an affinity for grass species, with whom they live in an endophytic association or cause disease. We recovered isolates of Fusarium from agriculturally important grasses in Africa and Brazil, and characterized them with morphological markers, mating type, and Amplified Fragment Leng...
Article
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Background The fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. pisi (Fop) causes Fusarium wilt in peas. There are four races globally: 1, 2, 5 and 6 and all of these races are present in Australia. Molecular infection mechanisms have been studied in a few other F. oxysporum formae speciales; however, there has been no transcriptomic Fop-pea pathosystem st...
Article
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The Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) is a group of closely related plant pathogens long-considered strictly clonal, as sexual stages have never been recorded. Several studies have questioned whether recombination occurs in FOSC, and if it occurs its nature and frequency are unknown. We analysed 410 assembled genomes to answer whether FOSC...
Article
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Ascochyta koolunga (Didymellaceae, Pleosporales) was first described in 2009 (as Phoma koolunga ) and identified as the causal agent of Ascochyta blight of Pisum sativum (field pea) in South Australia. Since then A. koolunga has not been reported anywhere else in the world, and its origins and occurrence on other legume (Fabaceae) species remains u...
Article
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Owing to decreasing costs and increased efficiency, it is now conceivable that conservation genomic information can be used to improve the effectiveness of recovery programs for many, if not most, threatened plants. We suggest that a simple genomic study be viewed as an initial step in conservation decision-making, as it informs long-term recovery...
Article
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Seven new genera, 26 new species, 10 new combinations, two epitypes, one new name, and 20 interesting new host and / or geographical records are introduced in this study. New genera are: Italiofungus (based on Italiofungus phillyreae ) on leaves of Phillyrea latifolia (Italy); Neolamproconium (based on Neolamproconium silvestre ) on branch of Tilia...
Article
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Scientific communication is facilitated by a data-driven, scientifically sound taxonomy that considers the end-user's needs and established successful practice. Previously (Geiser et al. 2013; Phytopathology 103:400-408. 2013), the Fusarium community voiced near unanimous support for a concept of Fusarium that represented a clade comprising all agr...
Article
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The genetic diversity of pathogenic members of the Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) has been intensively studied worldwide, yet strains occurring from native soils with low anthropogenic disturbance remain poorly understood. This study focused on 355 F. oxysporum isolates from soils with low anthropogenic activity obtained from the grassla...
Article
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Pathogenic and putatively nonpathogenic isolates of Fusarium oxysporum are ubiquitously present in soils. Pathogenic isolates designated as formae speciales are very host specific. The genes that determine host‐specific pathogenicity may be expected to be similar between strains within a forma specialis. Three different pathways were used for minin...
Article
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This article is to alert medical mycologists and infectious disease specialists of recent name changes of medically important species of the filamentous mold Fusarium. Fusarium species can cause localized and life-threating infections in humans. Of the 70 Fusarium species that have been reported to cause infections, close to one-third are members o...
Article
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Background: The Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) is a ubiquitous group of fungal species readily isolated from agroecosystem and natural ecosystem soils which includes important plant and human pathogens. Genetic relatedness within the complex has been studied by sequencing either the genes or the barcoding gene regions within those genes...
Article
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Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae (syn. Neocosmosporum cucurbitae) is one of the most devastating soilborne pathogens affecting the production of cucurbits worldwide. Since its first detection in Almería Province in Spain in the spring of 2007, it has become one of the main soilborne pathogens affecting zucchini production. It has also been reporte...
Article
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Phytophthora root rot is one of the most devastating diseases of perennial plants worldwide, affecting plants in food production, amenity plantings and in natural ecosystems. The impact of these diseases in botanic gardens can be substantial and can affect how a site may be used for months and years ahead. Management is critically dependent on avoi...
Article
The fungal genus Fusarium is one of the most important groups of plant-pathogenic fungi and affects a huge diversity of crops in all climatic zones across the globe. In addition, it is also a human pathogen and produces several extremely important mycotoxins in food products that have deleterious effects on livestock and humans. These fungi have be...
Article
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Species of eucalypts are commonly cultivated for solid wood and pulp products. The expansion of commercially managed eucalypt plantations has chiefly been driven by their rapid growth and suitability for propagation across a very wide variety of sites and climatic conditions. Infection of foliar fungal pathogens of eucalypts is resulting in increas...
Article
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One order, seven families, 28 new genera, 72 new species, 13 new combinations, four epitypes, and interesting new host and / or geographical records are introduced in this study. Pseudorobillardaceae is introduced for Pseudorobillarda (based on P. phragmitis). New genera include: Jeremyomyces (based on J. labinae) on twigs of Salix alba (Germany);...
Article
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Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Angola, Gnomoniopsis angolensis and Pseudopithomyces angolensis on unknown host plants. Australia, Dothiora corym­ biae on Corymbia citriodora, Neoeucasphaeria eucalypti (incl. Neoeucasphaeria gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus sp., Fumagopsis stellae on Eucalyptu...
Article
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The appendaged coelomycete genus Seimatosporium (Sporocadaceae, Sordariomycetes) and some of its purported synonyms Allelochaeta,Diploceras and Vermisporium are re-evaluated. Based on DNA data for five loci (ITS, LSU, rpb2, tub2 and tef1), Seimatosporium is shown to be paraphyletic. The ex-type species of Allelochaeta, Discostromopsis and Vermispor...
Article
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The genus Fusarium hosts a large number of economically significant phytopathogens with a global distribution. Surprisingly, only a limited number of studies have tried to identify the natural distribution of members of this genus in undisturbed soils. Members of the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC) are increasingly associated w...
Article
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Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Antarctica: Cadophora antarctica from soil. Australia: Alfaria dandenongensis on Cyperaceae, Amphosoma persooniae on Persoonia sp., Anungitea nullicana on Eucalyptus sp., Bagadiella eucalypti on Eucalyptus globulus, Castanediella eucalyptigena on Eucalyp...
Article
Australia's unique flora has evolved in isolation from many of the world's major plant pathogens. As these pathogens have made their way into Australia, their impact on plant species and communities has been dramatic. Two plant diseases, Phytophthora root rot and myrtle rust, are used as examples to illustrate the impact diseases can have on indivi...
Chapter
The Proteaceae are a southern hemisphere family of plants found predominantly in southern Africa and Australia. Included in the family are Protea, Leucospermum, and Leucodendron from southern Africa and Banksia, Telopea, and Grevillea from Australia all of which are important cut flower crops. All of these genera are susceptible to a range of disea...
Article
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Mango malformation (MMD) is an economically significant disease of mango growing regions and a notifiable disease in Australia. Following an incursion of the disease in the Northern Territory (NT) in 2007, numerous Fusarium species were isolated from mango samples during surveillance activities in growing regions within the country between 2007 and...
Article
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This study was conducted to characterize a novel Fusarium species that caused leaf and stem spot on Agapanthus praecox (Agapanthus, African lily) in northern Italy and leaf rot and spot on the same host in Melbourne, Australia. Formally described as Fusarium agapanthi, this pathogen was analyzed using phenotypic, phytopathogenic, secondary metaboli...
Article
Fusarium solani is responsible for leaf yellowing and root and collar rot across a broad range of orchid species. The forma specialis, ‘phalaenopsis’, of Fusarium solani has recently been described using molecular methods as being the causal organism of disease in Phalaenopsis and Cymbidium orchids, and is the predominant pathogen of Taiwanese glas...
Article
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Fusarium goolgardi, isolated from the grass tree Xanthorrhoea glauca in natural ecosystems of Australia, is closely related to fusaria that produce a subgroup of trichothecene (type A) mycotoxins that lack a carbonyl group at carbon atom 8 (C-8). Mass spectrometric analysis revealed that F. goolgardi isolates produce type A trichothecenes, but exhi...
Article
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The Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) causes disease in plants and animals, but is also widely dispersed in natural ecosystems without evidence of disease. The present study screened a representative population from natural ecosystems across the Australian continent for the putative effector genes Pisatin Demethylase 1 (PDA1), Pectate Lyase...
Article
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Six new species of Fusarium associated with soil and plant hosts from ecosystems of minimal anthropogenic disturbance in Australia are described. Fusarium coicis from Coix gasteenii, F. goolgardi from Xanthorrhoea glauca, F. mundagurra from soil and Mangifera indica, F. newnesense from soil, F. tjaetaba from Sorghum interjectum and F. tjaynera from...
Article
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Fusarium wilt is a serious disease of the date palm Phoenix canariensis, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. canariensis (Foc). A previous study that characterised and compared the genetic diversity of the Australian Foc population with international strains suggested that the Australian population may have had an independent evolutionary origin. T...
Article
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Novel species of fungi described in the present study include the following from South Africa: Alanphillipsia aloeicola from Aloe sp., Arxiella dolichandrae from Dolichandra unguiscati, Ganoderma austroafricanum from Jacaranda mimosifolia, Phacidiella podocarpi and Phaeosphaeria podocarpi from Podocarpus latifolius, Phyllosticta mimusopisicola from...
Article
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Cob rot epidemics occurred in NSW in sweet corn in 2002 and maize in 2003. Investigations were undertaken to establish the species of Fusarium associated with both instances. Dependent on region, F. verticillioides, F. proliferatum, and F. subglutinans were isolated more frequently. The epidemics were unique in their occurrence being in two corn ty...
Article
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The Teratosphaeriaceae represents a recently established family that includes numerous saprobic, extremophilic, human opportunistic, and plant pathogenic fungi. Partial DNA sequence data of the 28S rRNA and RPB2 genes strongly support a separation of the Mycosphaerellaceae from the Teratosphaeriaceae, and also provide support for the Extremaceae an...
Data
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Many fungi are pathogenic on plants and cause significant damage in agriculture and forestry. They are also part of the natural ecosystem and may play a role in regulating plant numbers/density. Morphological identification and analysis of plant pathogenic fungi, while important, is often hampered by the scarcity of discriminatory taxonomic charact...
Article
Full-text available
Many fungi are pathogenic on plants and cause significant damage in agriculture and forestry. They are also part of the natural ecosystem and may play a role in regulating plant numbers/density. Morphological identification and analysis of plant pathogenic fungi, while important, is often hampered by the scarcity of discriminatory taxonomic charact...
Article
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Novel species of microfungi described in the present study include the following from South Africa: Cercosporella dolichandrae from Dolichandra unguiscati, Seiridium podocarpi from Podocarpus latifolius, Pseudocercospora parapseudarthriae from Pseudarthria hookeri, Neodevriesia coryneliae from Corynelia uberata on leaves of Afrocarpus falcatus, Ram...
Article
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Fusarium oxysporum is an important plant and human pathogenic ascomycetous group, with near ubiquity in agricultural and non-cultivated ecosystems. Phylogenetic evidence suggests that F. oxysporum is a complex of multiple morphologically cryptic species. Species boundaries and limits of genetic exchange within this complex are poorly defined, large...
Article
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Background and aims This study investigated the effect of cyanobacterial inoculants on salt tolerance in wheat. Methods Unicyanobacterial crusts of Nostoc, Leptolyngbya and Microcoleus were established in sand pots. Salt stress was targeted at 6 and 13 dS m−1, corresponding to the wheat salt tolerance and 50 % yield reduction thresholds, respective...
Article
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In this letter, we advocate recognizing the genus Fusarium as the sole name for a group that includes virtually all Fusarium species of importance in plant pathology, mycotoxicology, medicine and basic research. This phylogenetically-guided circumscription will free scientists from any obligation to use other genus names, including teleomorphs, for...
Article
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Novel species of microfungi described in the present study include the following from Australia: Catenulostroma corymbiae from Corymbia, Devriesia stirlingiae from Stirlingia, Penidiella carpentariae from Carpentaria, Phaeococcomyces eucalypti from Eucalyptus, Phialophora livistonae from Livistona, Phyllosticta aristolochiicola from Aristolochia, C...
Article
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Harknessiaceae is introduced as a new family in the ascomycete order Diaporthales to accommodate species of Harknessia with their Wuestneia-like teleomorphs. The family is distinguished by having pycnidial conidiomata with brown, furfuraceous margins, brown conidia with hyaline, tube-like basal appendages, longitudinal striations, and rhexolytic se...
Article
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Four different genera of diaporthalean coelomycetous fungi associated with leaf spots of tree hosts are morphologically treated and phylogenetically compared based on the DNA sequence data of the large subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA gene (LSU) and the internal transcribed spacers and 5.8S rRNA gene of the nrDNA operon. These include two new Australi...
Article
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Novel species of microfungi described in the present study include the following from Australia: Phytophthora amnicola from still water, Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi from Castanea sp., Pseudoplagiostoma corymbiae from Corymbia sp., Diaporthe eucalyptorum from Eucalyptus sp., Sporisorium andrewmitchellii from Enneapogon aff. lindleyanus, Myrmecridium b...
Article
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This paper represents the first of a series dealing with fungi associated with Proteaceae cultivated in Australia. Several leaf pathogens are newly recorded, including Botryosphaeria proteae, Coleroa senniana, Kabatiella proteae, Mycosphaerella jonkershoekensis and Mycosphaerella lateralis from Protea spp. The host range of Phyllosticta telopea is...
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