| The identification of basidiomycete cultures is difficult. The difficulties stem from the lack of basidiomata of which the morphology is the foundation of taxonomy of basidiomycetes and well established field identification guidebooks. The species code system was designed to accommodate this problem. However, not every culture forms all the characters described in the code; lacking one or more characters, the unknown culture can not always be identified with certainty. A molecular identification method utilizing the BLAST search of the ITS rDNA sequences provides an alternative method for identification. The weaknesses of using DNA sequences are the misidentified sequences in the GenBank, the lack of knowledge of interspecific and intraspecific variations.; The results of this study demonstrate that an integrated approach of morphological and molecular identifications, including mating tests can provide efficient and reliable identifications. The essentialness of morphological studies to overcome the weakness of molecular identification and the resolving power of ITS rDNA sequences to a group of cultures with similar morphology were revealed. This study generated 124 ITS rDNA sequences representing 47 wood-decay basidiomycete taxa that will be deposited in the GenBank. Seventy-five cultures were identified, among them 67 cultures were identified to species level. These were Athelia pelicularis, Bjerkandera adusta, Hyphoderma setigerum, Irpex lacteus, Oxyporus latemarginatus, Peniophoraspp., Phanerochaete sp., Phanerochaete gigantea, Phanerochaete laevis, Phanerochaete sordida, Phlebia subserialis, Polyporus tricholoma, Schizophyllum commune, Sistotrema brinkmannii, Stereum sanguinolentum, Trametes hirsuta, Trametes versicolor. The descriptions of culture morphology and species codes of 21 species were established. |
