Dasylirion serratifolium as a New Host of Botrytis cinerea, the Causal Agent of Leaf Spots and Blight in Italy

Plant Disease
G Polizzi, A Vitale

Abstract

Sandpaper sotol (Dasylirion serratifolium Zucc.), native to Mexico, has green leaves with margins highlighted by whitish yellow prickles like a fine sandpaper. During the spring of 2004 and 2005, necrotic lesions were observed in the middle of leaf blades and near prickles on 2- to 5-year-old, container-grown sandpaper sotol plants from two nurseries in eastern Sicily (Italy). Symptoms were detected on 20 to 30% of plants and consisted of reddish lesions that developed a reddish brown stripe surrounded by a yellow halo. As lesions enlarged, the center turned yellow and expanded rapidly causing blight of young leaves. Occasionally, symptomatic tissues had masses of gray fungal conidia and/or sclerotia. Botrytis cinerea was isolated consistently from infected tissues disinfected for 1 min in 1% NaOCl and rinsed in sterile distilled water and grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Hyaline, ovoid conidia (average 6.4 × 9.7 μm) and conidiophores were similar to those described of B. cinerea, and 5- to 8-day-old cultures developed black sclerotia that were round or irregular in shape (average 1.55 × 1.02 mm) that is typical of gray mold (1). Koch's postulates were performed by spraying 6-week-old sandpaper sotol plants grown in 12-cm p...Continue Reading

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