Browsing by Author "Avery, Simon V."

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    Aspergillus ullungdoensis sp. nov., Penicillium jeongsukae sp. nov., and other fungi from Korea
    (Elsevier, 2024-12) Lee, Hyang Burm; Nguyen, Thuong T.T.; Noh, So Jeong; Kim, Dong Hee; Kang, Ki Hyun; Kim, Su Jin; Kirk, Paul M.; Avery, Simon V.; Medina, Angel; Hallsworth, John E.
    Eurotiales fungi are thought to be distributed worldwide but there is a paucity of information about their occurrence on diverse substrates or hosts and at specific localities. Some of the Eurotiales, including Aspergillus and Penicillium species, produce an array of secondary metabolites of use for agricultural, medicinal, and pharmaceutical applications. Here, we carried out a survey of the Eurotiales in Korea, focusing on soil, freshwater, and plants (dried persimmon fruits and seeds of Perilla frutescens, known commonly as shiso). We obtained 11 species that—based on morphology, physiology, and multi-locus (ITS, BenA, CaM, and RPB2) phylogenetic analyses—include two new species, Aspergillus ullungdoensis sp. nov. and Penicillium jeongsukae sp. nov., and nine species that were known, but previously not described in Korea, Aspergillus aculeatinus, Aspergillus aurantiacoflavus, Aspergillus croceiaffinis, Aspergillus pseudoviridinutans, Aspergillus uvarum, Penicillium ferraniaense, Penicillium glaucoroseum, Penicillium sajarovii, and one, Penicillium charlesii, that was isolated from previously unknown host, woodlouse (Porcellio scaber). We believe that biodiversity surveys and identifying new species can contribute to set a baseline for future changes in the context of humanitarian crises such as climate change.
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    The fungal threat to global food security
    (Elsevier, 2019-04-04) Avery, Simon V.; Singleton, Ian; Magan, Naresh; Goldman, Gustavo H.
    Fungi threaten the security of food supply to human populations on several fronts. They destroy up to 30 % of crop products through disease and spoilage processes, while mycotoxin-producing fungi and opportunistic pathogens endanger food safety. Control of these fungi is vital for improving food security, but current measures are inadequate and further challenges due to human-population growth and climate change are escalating. Investment and innovation in research on strategies to control fungal growth, harnessed through international, inter-disciplinary collaboration across socio-economic boundaries, provides one key to rising to this challenge.