Ascochyta | |
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Ascochyta teucrii from Commanster, Belgium | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Dothideomycetes |
Order: | Pleosporales |
Family: | Didymellaceae |
Genus: | Ascochyta Lib. (1930) |
Type species | |
Ascochyta pisi Lib. (1830) | |
Species | |
See text |
Ascochyta is a genus of ascomycete fungi, containing several species that are pathogenic to plants, particularly cereal crops. The taxonomy of this genus is still incomplete. The genus was first described in 1830 by Marie-Anne Libert, who regarded the spores as minute asci and the cell contents as spherical spores. [1] Numerous revisions to the members of the genus and its description were made for the next several years. Species that are plant pathogenic on cereals include, A. hordei , A. graminea , A. sorghi , A. tritici . Symptoms are usually elliptical spots that are initially chlorotic and later become a necrotic brown. Management includes fungicide applications and sanitation of diseased plant tissue debris.
Some of these pathogens in the genus Ascochyta affect grass species, including grains.
Hosts species include wheat, barley, oats, rye, triticale, turfgrasses and many other grass species found throughout the world. Symptoms are found on lower leaves early in the season and upper leaves later in the season. Lesions are usually elliptical and are initially chlorotic. Later, they develop a brown margin with a white center and split longitudinally. Pycnidia can be found within the lesions are generally black in color. [2]
The fungus often invades damaged leaf tissue caused by physical damage but can also penetrate through natural openings, such as stomata. In the spring, the primary inoculum is thought to be conidia, which are produced from pycnidia, and are dispersed by rainsplash to infect leaves. Infections lead to leaf spots which eventually develop into lesions. Black pycnidia can be observed in lesions. Secondary infection occurs when pycnidia produce more conidia during the growing season that are again dispersed by rainsplash and spread to new leaves for infection. The fungus overwinters as mycelium and pycnidia in host debris. Perithecia have also been observed in lesions and have been demonstrated to produce ascospores in later summer. Air-borne ascospores disperse in the fall and may cause primary infections the following season.
Leaf spotting symptoms are often associated with high humidity, warm temperatures, dense foliage, and leaves in contact with soil. [3] Because the fungus overwinters in plant debris on or in the soil and conidia are dispersed by rainsplash, initial infections occur on leaves in close proximity to the soil. High humidity and temperature promote sporulation. Dense foliage, which promotes high relative humidity, also promotes disease.
Currently, specific controls for Ascochyta leaf spot diseases have not been clearly described. [4] Effective controls for a similar disease, Septoria leaf blotch, have been prescribed for Ascochyta leaf spot diseases. These include: crop rotation, fungicide application, variety selection, irrigation management, tillage to reduce residue, and good grassy weed control. [5] Fungicides that are listed as providing 'Very Good' control of Septoria leaf blotch include Azoxystrobin 22.9%, Pyraclostrobin 3.6%, and Propiconazole 41.8%. [5] Applying fungicides at the beginning of the season reduces the number of sporulating pycnidia and mycelium that overwintered. Sanitation through removing all plant debris from the field at the end of the season reduces the inoculum for the following season. Reduced irrigation prevents the spread of conidia from infected leaves to healthy leaves by decreasing dispersal of conidia. Removing grassy weeds that can harbor the pathogen also decreases the presence of inoculum. [6] [7] [8]
The disease is of relatively minor economic importance but is likely to contribute to foliar death in individual crops. Symptoms are often observed later in the season, towards the end of grain filling, when disease is unlikely to cause significant yield loss. The air-borne ascospores have been implicated in late summer asthma. [2] Ascochyta can also cause leaf blight of turf grasses, so its importance is not limited to cereal grain crops. [9] [10] Ascochyta leaf blight of turf has become a common, although minor, disease of Kentucky bluegrass lawns in the United States. [11]
Pyrenophora teres is a necrotrophic fungal pathogen of some plant species, the most significant of which are economically important agricultural crops such as barley. Toxins include aspergillomarasmine A and related compounds.
Diplocarpon rosae is a fungus that creates the rose black spot disease. Because it was observed by people of various countries around the same time, the nomenclature for the fungus varied with about 25 different names. The asexual stage is now known to be Marssonina rosae, while the sexual and most common stage is known as Diplocarpon rosae.
Blumeria graminis is a fungus that causes powdery mildew on grasses, including cereals. It is the only species in the genus Blumeria. It has also been called Erysiphe graminis and Oidium monilioides or Oidium tritici.
Leptosphaeria coniothyrium is a plant pathogen. It can be found around the world.
Alternaria triticina is a fungal plant pathogen that causes leaf blight on wheat. A. triticina is responsible for the largest leaf blight issue in wheat and also causes disease in other major cereal grain crops. It was first identified in India in 1962 and still causes significant yield loss to wheat crops on the Indian subcontinent. The disease is caused by a fungal pathogen and causes necrotic leaf lesions and in severe cases shriveling of the leaves.
Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (teleomorph) and Drechslera tritici-repentis (anamorph) is a necrotrophic plant pathogen of fungal origin, phylum Ascomycota. The pathogen causes a disease originally named yellow spot but now commonly called tan spot, yellow leaf spot, yellow leaf blotch or helminthosporiosis. At least eight races of the pathogen are known to occur based on their virulence on a wheat differential set.
Zymoseptoria tritici, synonyms Septoria tritici, Mycosphaerella graminicola, is a species of filamentous fungus, an ascomycete in the family Mycosphaerellaceae. It is a wheat plant pathogen causing septoria leaf blotch that is difficult to control due to resistance to multiple fungicides. The pathogen today causes one of the most important diseases of wheat.
Diaporthe helianthi is a fungal pathogen that causes Phomopsis stem canker of sunflowers. In sunflowers, Phomopsis helianthi is the causative agent behind stem canker. Its primary symptom is the production of large canker lesions on the stems of sunflower plants. These lesions can eventually lead to lodging and plant death. This disease has been shown to be particularly devastating in southern and eastern regions of Europe, although it can also be found in the United States and Australia. While cultural control practices are the primary method of controlling for Stem Canker, there have been a few resistant cultivars developed in regions of Europe where the disease is most severe.
Septoria cannabis is a species of plant pathogen from the genus Septoria that causes the disease commonly known as Septoria leaf spot. Early symptoms of infection are concentric white lesions on the vegetative leaves of cannabis plants, followed by chlorosis and necrosis of the leaf until it is ultimately overcome by disease and all living cells are then killed. Septoria, which is an ascomycete and pycnidia producing fungus, has been well known to attack Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae species as well as many tree species. This genus is known to comprise over 1,000 species of pathogens, each infecting a specific and unique host.
Ascochyta pisi is a fungal plant pathogen that causes ascochyta blight on pea, causing lesions of stems, leaves, and pods. These same symptoms can also be caused by Ascochyta pinodes, and the two fungi are not easily distinguishable.
Ascochyta sorghi is a fungal plant pathogen. It causes Ascochyta leaf spot on barley that can also be caused by the related fungi Ascochyta hordei, Ascochyta graminea and Ascochyta tritici. It is considered a minor disease of barley.
Didymella bryoniae, syn. Mycosphaerella melonis, is an ascomycete fungal plant pathogen that causes gummy stem blight on the family Cucurbitaceae, which includes cantaloupe, cucumber, muskmelon and watermelon plants. The anamorph/asexual stage for this fungus is called Phoma cucurbitacearum. When this pathogen infects the fruit of cucurbits it is called black rot.
Peronosclerospora sorghi is a plant pathogen. It is the causal agent of sorghum downy mildew. The pathogen is a fungal-like protist in the oomycota, or water mold, class. Peronosclerospora sorghi infects susceptible plants though sexual oospores, which survive in the soil, and asexual sporangia which are disseminated by wind. Symptoms of sorghum downy mildew include chlorosis, shredding of leaves, and death. Peronosclerospora sorghi infects maize and sorghum around the world, but causes the most severe yield reductions in Africa. The disease is controlled mainly through genetic resistance, chemical control, crop rotation, and strategic timing of planting.
Septoria lycopersici is a fungal pathogen that is most commonly found infecting tomatoes. It causes one of the most destructive diseases of tomatoes and attacks tomatoes during any stage of development.
Septoria malagutii is a fungal plant pathogen infecting potatoes. The casual fungal pathogen is a deuteromycete and therefore has no true sexual stage. As a result, Septoria produces pycnidia, an asexual flask shaped fruiting body, on the leaves of potato and other tuber-bearing spp. causing small black to brown necrotic lesions ranging in size from 1-5mm. The necrotic lesions can fuse together forming large necrotic areas susceptible to leaf drop, early senescence, dieback, and dwarfing. Septoria malagutii has been found only in the Andean countries of Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela at altitudes of near 3000 meters. Consequently, the fungi grows and disperses best under relatively low temperatures with high humidities, with optimal growth occurring at 20 °C (68 °F). The disease has caused devastation on potato yields in South America and in areas where this disease is common, potato yields have been seen to drop by 60%.
Ascochyta blights occur throughout the world and can be of significant economic importance. Three fungi contribute to the ascochyta blight disease complex of pea. Ascochyta pinodes causes Mycosphaerella blight. Ascochyta pinodella causes Ascochyta foot rot, and Ascochyta pisi causes Ascochyta blight and pod spot. Of the three fungi, Ascochyta pinodes is of the most importance. These diseases are conducive under wet and humid conditions and can cause a yield loss of up to fifty percent if left uncontrolled. The best method to control ascochyta blights of pea is to reduce the amount of primary inoculum through sanitation, crop-rotation, and altering the sowing date. Other methods—chemical control, biological control, and development of resistant varieties—may also be used to effectively control ascochyta diseases.
Southern corn leaf blight (SCLB) is a fungal disease of maize caused by the plant pathogen Bipolaris maydis.
Gummy stem blight is a cucurbit-rot disease caused by the fungal plant pathogen Didymella bryoniae. Gummy stem blight can affect a host at any stage of growth in its development and affects all parts of the host including leaves, stems and fruits. Symptoms generally consist of circular dark tan lesions that blight the leaf, water soaked leaves, stem cankers, and gummy brown ooze that exudes from cankers, giving it the name gummy stem blight. Gummy stem blight reduces yields of edible cucurbits by devastating the vines and leaves and rotting the fruits. There are various methods to control gummy stem blight, including use of treated seed, crop rotation, using preventative fungicides, eradication of diseased material, and deep plowing previous debris.
Botrytis squamosa is a fungus that causes leaf blight on onion that is distinctly characterized by the two stages – leaf spotting followed by blighting. The pathogen is an ascomycete that belongs to the family Sclerotiniaceae in the order Helotiales. The lesions start out as whitish streaks and take on a yellow tinge as they mature. They cause yield losses up to 30%. This fungus is endemic to the USA and has also been reported in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Typical management of this disease includes chemical fungicides with significant efforts being made to establish a means of biological control.
Alternaria leaf spot or Alternaria leaf blight are a group of fungal diseases in plants, that have a variety of hosts. The diseases infects common garden plants, such as cabbage, and are caused by several closely related species of fungi. Some of these fungal species target specific plants, while others have been known to target plant families. One commercially relevant plant genus that can be affected by Alternaria Leaf Spot is Brassica, as the cosmetic issues caused by symptomatic lesions can lead to rejection of crops by distributors and buyers. When certain crops such as cauliflower and broccoli are infected, the heads deteriorate and there is a complete loss of marketability. Secondary soft-rotting organisms can infect stored cabbage that has been affected by Alternaria Leaf Spot by entering through symptomatic lesions. Alternaria Leaf Spot diseases that affect Brassica species are caused by the pathogens Alternaria brassicae and Alternaria brassicicola.