First report of leaf-spot disease caused by Sphaeropsis visci on Asian mistletoe [Viscum coloratum (Kom.) Nakai] in China

Abstract

In January 2017, symptoms of a leaf-spot disease were observed on Viscum coloratum plants in Yichun, China. The infected leaves were chlorotic, while sunken lesions formed on diseased branches, which were initially light brown and later turned dark brown. Moreover, diseased branches and leaves formed semi-buried, small, and spherical pycnidia. In total, 20 leaves and 19 branches diseased samples from Yichun, China were collected and examined. The fungus was isolated and identified using Koch’s postulates, morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data. The data presented herein confirmed that the pathogen responsible for the disease was Sphaeropsis visci. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of it in China.

Keywords

Botryosphaeriales / Viscum coloratum / Morphology / Phylogeny / Sphaeropsis visci / New pathogen

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