A history of the LTB snow mold fungus in Alberta: When will we identify this species?

Snow mold fungi can cause serious damage to overwintering cereals and perennial forages in Central and Northern Alberta where a persistent snow cover is established early in the autumn and remains until spring. Pink snow mold caused by Microdochium nivale and Myrioscherotinia borealis cause overwintering damage to crops but the most important snow mold is the Low Termperature Basidiomycete (LTB). This sterile white basidiomycete was first reported by Broadfoot and Cormack in 1941 on alfalfa. The fungus remained unidentified until 1980 when Traquair identified LTB as Coprinus pyschromorbidus. An LTB causing fruit rot in Oregon (FRLTB) was reported by Spotts et al. in 1981 and sclerotial (SLTB) form reported by Traquair and Smith on winter wheat in 1982 were also reported conspecific with C. psychromorbidus. Molecular techniques and conventional mating studies by Laroche et al. in 1993 refuted the species designation of LTB as C. psychromorbidus. Currently a collaboration between an AAFC Research Centers at Lethbridge and Ottawa using ITS and other common sequences from a large range of basidiomycetes raises hope that the LTB identity controversy will soon come to a conclusion.