Fusarium temperatum sp. nov. from maize, an emergent species closely related to Fusarium subglutinans.

A large number of Fusarium isolates closely related to F. subglutinans were collected from maize in Belgium. We used a robust polyphasic approach to describe a new biological species, Fusarium temperatum, within the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex. F. temperatum can be distinguished from F. subglutinans and from other Fusarium species within the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex with AFLP fingerprint profile, differences in the translation elongation factor 1-α and β-tubulin DNA sequence and interspecies mating compatibility analyses. Intraspecies mating compatibility suggests that sexual reproduction might be common for field isolates of F. temperatum, and reliable female fertile mating population tester strains were proposed for this heterothallic species.