Two papers have been fast-tracked for publication in this issue. The first reports the transformation of the genome of Verticillium fungicola using PEG- and Agrobacterium-mediated methods; both were successful and provide a new tool for the study of the epidemiology of this important pathogen of cultivated Agaricus bisporus (pp. 4–11). In the second, double-stranded RNA mycovirus elements have been found in Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis group three (AG 3) and its transmission and elimination investigated (pp. 12–22).

Other molecular papers in this issue describe the development of primers for the identification of Alternaria species in carrots and compare the approach with other techniques (pp. 23–33); the diversity and molecular strain characterization of Lentinula edodes in Japan (pp. 34–39); the genotypic variation within Beauveria bassiana has been examined by a variety of methods and eight phylogenetic clusters found – which were not significantly correlated with the groups of insects from which they were obtained (pp. 40–50); the Eucalyptus pathogen Coniothyrium zuluense is established as present in Thailand, the first time the fungus has been found outside South Africa (pp. 51–59); and molecular data has been sued to show that the causal agent of Rhododendron anthracnose is Colletotrichum dematium (pp. 60-69).