Vol 59, No 1 (2025)

The complex of fungi causing sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS complex) remained unexplored for many years. A hundred years ago, Leptothyrium pomi was considered the only pathogen of both diseases. By 1997, the complex was expanded to four species, and over the past 25 years to more than a hundred species. Since progress in the study of these diseases came only with the beginning of the active use of molecular genetics, many bioecological features of these diseases remain in question. The relevance of the study of the SBFS complex is due to its increased harmfulness against the background of the desire for environmentally friendly production in many countries of the world. Foreign review articles do not mention data on the distribution of the SBFS complex in Russia. Meanwhile, in the south of Russia, outbreaks of sooty blotch and flyspeck are periodically noted. In some years, the damage to fruits in the treated areas can reach up to 50%. In Russia, however, much of the fundamental phytopathological literature was published before the breakthrough in the study of sooty blotch and flyspeck, and new publications often overlook recent findings. In this regard, an attempt was made to write a Russian-language review of the most relevant data of the SBFS complex.

The article provides information on two new species for Russia, Arrhenia leucotricha and A. subglobisemen, collected in the territory of the Altai Republic. The macro- and micromorphological characteristics of both species were described in detail, and their ITS nrDNA sequences were acquired and analysed. The data on the substrate specificity, ecological preferences in the southern part of Western Siberia, and their geographical distribution in the Holarctic region are discussed.

The effect of submicron particles of heavy metal oxides WO₃, CsTeMoO₆ и RbTe_1.5W_0.5O₆ with photocatalytic activity on the content of organic acids in the culture medium of fungi Aspergillus niger, Chaetomium globosum, Penicillium chrysogenum was studied. It has been shown that submicron particles WO₃, CsTeMoO₆ и RbTe_1.5W_0.5O₆ are able to influence the concentration and composition of organic acids produced by the studied biodestructor fungi both in darkness and under the influence of light, and the effect is multidirectional. In a number of experimental variants, a decrease in the content of individual organic acids in the culture medium of the studied fungi was observed. At the same time, under the action of CsTeMoO₆, the concentration of lactic acid in the culture medium of Aspergillus niger increased many times. A similar trend was observed for succinic acid in the case of Penicillium chrysogenum under the action of RbTe_1.5W_0.5O₆ and Chaetomium globosum under the action of CsTeMoO₆ in dark conditions. It was noted that in some cases, under the action of the studied particles, there was an absence of individual organic acids in the mushroom culture medium compared with the control. A decrease in the content of organic acids in the culture medium in both dark and light conditions for all fungi was observed only in the case of WO₃. In most cases, the studied biocides, both in the dark and in the light, caused a decrease in the total content of organic acids in the culture medium. This allows us to talk about the inhibition of acid formation processes in fungi by these compounds, which explains the expediency of using them as a means of protecting materials from microbiological damage caused by microscopic fungi.

Tributylphosphate finds industrial application as an extractant of metal salts from ore minerals, and is produced in large quantities. Due to the widespread use of tributylphosphate, the problem of environmental pollution with this compound and its negative impact on living organisms arises. It was shown that culture media with tributylphosphate had a strong toxic effect on Paramecium caudatum and Artemia salina. A solution to this problem could be its biodegradation – enzymatic hydrolysis to inorganic phosphates. Until now, the known biodegraders of tributylphosphate were mainly bacteria. However, fungi are apparently also capable of biodegradation of this substance. The object of study was two strains of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger, which had previously shown the ability to use white phosphorus as a substrate. As a result of the experiments, the possibility of growth of two A. niger strains on a medium with tributylphosphate was shown. For strain F-4815D, the addition of tributylphosphate had a negative effect at the stage of conidiophores formation and spore maturation. Strain F-4815D was also characterized by a lower radial growth rate and a smaller colony diameter with the addition of tributylphosphate than strain F-4816D. Both strains were capable of growth on medium without phosphates. For strain F-4815D, the presence of tributylphosphate in the medium without inorganic phosphorus enhanced the toxic effect, which was reflected in a decrease in the diameter of colonies and hyphae, a decrease in the radial growth rate and a later appearance of conidiophores. Strain F-4816D is more resistant to tributylphosphate, and the exclusion of inorganic phosphates from the medium stimulated the growth of the fungus, which may indicate the ability of this strain to biologically degrade TBP and reduce the toxicity.