Leaf blight: a new disease of Xanthium strumarium L. caused by Curvularia lunata and Drechslera spicifera in Sudan.
Haroun N. E., Elamin S. E., Mahgoub B. M., Elssidig M. A., Mohammed E. H.
Author Affiliation: University of Dammam, Faculty of Arts & Science, Department of Biology, Saudi Arabia.
International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences 4 : 511-515
Abstract : Ramtouk (Xanthium strumarium L.) known in Sudan as a very common weed of many row crops in the temperate and subtropical regions and is widely spread in irrigated schemes in Khartoum, Blue Nile State and Gash Delta (Eastern Sudan) competing with different economic crops and causing a great losses in their yields. In this study two fungi namely, Curvularia lunata & Drechslera spicifera were isolated from necrotic spots and blight of Xanthium strumarium leaves in different locations in Khartoum State. Their identification based in accordance to microscopic and macroscopic characters. Pathogenicity of these pathogens studied in the Laboratory of the Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Agriculture University of Khartoum, Sudan. Inoculation was done by using a pressurized hand sprayer. This research work was the first discovery of the incidence of the leaf blight disease in Sudan caused by Curvularia lunata & Drechslera spicifera. Therefore, those two pathogens could be considered as beneficial agents for the bio-control and to establish weed management program of this noxious weed. The plant host ranges of the two pathogens were determined in glasshouse. Host plant representing 8 families and 10 genera and the result shows that the pathogen Drechslera spicifera caused a miner spots on the graminaceous hosts.