Blight of moss caused by Pythium sp. in Greenland

Abstract

Pythium sp. actively attacks mosses (Sanionia uncinata) growing in Kangerlussuaq, Ammassalik, Kulusuk, and Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland. This is the first report of the occurrence of Pythium moss blight in Greenland. All isolates from Greenland could grow at o ° C, and the mycelial growth rate of isolates from Greenland, compared with that of isolates from the Temperate Zone, were very low at temperatures above 10°C. However, the optimal growth temperature of Greenlandic isolates was the same as that of isolates from the Temperate Zone. These results suggest that isolates of Greenland originally developed from isolates from the Temperate Zone and adapted to growth under Arctic conditions.