As a glucomannan-producing cash crop in many Asian countries, a chromosome-level genome assembly of Amorphophallus konjac is generated. Two whole-genome duplications in quick succession as well as recent bursts of transposable elements are discovered in the genome. Cellulose synthase-like A, Cellulose synthase-like D, mannan-synthesis related 1, GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase and phosphomannomutase fructokinase are found to contribute to glucomannan synthesis.

Shiraiaceae is an important family in Pleosporales (Dothideomycetes), which includes medical fungi and plant pathogens. Two hypocrellin-producing taxa, Shiraia bambusicola and a novel genus Rubroshiraiagen. nov., typified by Rubroshiraia bambusae are treated in this article. Maximum likelihood analysis, generated via RAxML (GTR+G model), using a combined SSU, LSU, TEF1 and RPB2 sequence dataset, shows that Rubroshiraia is close to Shiraia and belongs to the family Shiraiaceae. Descriptions, illustrations and a taxonomic key are provided for the genera in Shiraiaceae. Rubroshiraia morphologically differs from Shiraia in having small and dark ascostromata and filiform ascospores. Production of the ascostromatal metabolites, hypocrellin A and B, were examined by HPLC and spectrophotometer. The content of hypocrellin A and B of specimen HKAS 102255 (R. bambusae) is twice that produced by HKAS 102253 (S. bambusicola). To clarify the relationship between R. bambusae and Hypocrella bambusae, type material of the latter was examined and provided the illustration.

Bacterial soft rot is a devastating disease for a wide range of crops, vegetables, and ornamental plants including konjac (Amorphophallus konjac). However, the pangenome and genomic plasticity of the konjac soft rot pathogens is little explored. In this study, we reported the complete genome sequences of 11 bacterial isolates that can cause typical soft rot symptoms in konjac by in vitro and in vivo pathogenicity tests. Based on in silico DNA–DNA hybridization, average nucleotide identity and phylogenomic analysis, all 11 isolates were determined to be Pectobacterium aroidearum. In addition, synteny analysis of these genomes revealed considerable chromosomal inversions, one of which is triggered by homologous recombination of ribose operon. Pangenome analysis and COG enrichment analysis showed that the pangenome of P. aroidearum is open and that accessory genes are enriched in replication, recombination, and repair. Variations in type IV secretion system and type VI secretion system were found, while plant cell wall degrading enzymes were conserved. Furthermore, sequence analyses also provided evidence for the presence of a type V secretion system in Pectobacterium. These findings advance our understanding of the pathogenicity determinants, genomic plasticity, and evolution of P. aroidearum.

Cinnamomum chago B.S. Sun & H.L. Zhao is an economically important wild woody oil plant of the genus Cinnamomum Trew belonging the family Lauraceae. To better determine its phylogenetic location with respect to the other Cinnamomum species, the complete plastid genome of C. chago was sequenced. The whole plastome is 152,753 bp in length, consisting of a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 20,074 bp, one large single-copy (LSC) region of 93,722 bp, and one small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,883 bp. The overall GC content of the whole plastome is 39.2%. Further, maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyse was conducted using 12 complete plastomes of the Lauraceae, which support the close relationship between C. chago and C. verum.