Abstract ID: 3.8259 | Accepted as Poster | Talk | TBA | TBA

Ganoderma P. Karst. is a pathogen responsible for root and stem rot in trees, eventually leading to their death and questioning the future of mountain ecosystems. Due to the morphological resemblance of different species, it is necessary to understand the phylogenetic relationship between Ganoderma species to better conserve them. This research aims to determine the Phylogenetic relationship of Ganoderma species in Mezam Division, Northwest Region, Cameroon. Opportunistic sampling was used to collect samples from nine villages in the region. The sorbitol-CTAB method was used to extract DNA from the ITS and TEF gene regions. The ITS and TEF gene regions were amplified using ITS1, 5.8S, and ITS4 and TEF1-α primers. Their identities were determined in GenBank using BLAST, and a phylogenetic analysis was performed using MEGA version 11. The study identified nine and two distinct Ganoderma species from the ITS and TEF gene regions. This includes Ganoderma applanatum, G. australe, G. brownii, G. cupreum, G. gibbosum, G. lucidum, G. multipileum, G. multiplicatum, and G. weberianum from its ITS gene region, and G. multiplicatum, and G. weberianum from its TEF gene region. G. australe, G. cupreum, G. lucidum, G. multiplicatum, and G. weberianum have been previously described from Cameroon, while G. multipileum, G. applanatum, G. brownii, and G. gibbosum are new records. Ten clades were obtained from the ITS gene regions, and nine from the TEF gene were obtained compared to those from the GenBank. The collected specimens significantly clustered together and formed a monophyletic group with other Ganoderma taxon, including the holotype, with solid support from ML values, implying that they have self-derived characters and that the Mezam division is diverse in terms of Ganoderma species.