Gray Leaf Spot in Peppers Caused by Stemphylium solani and S. lycopersici

A disease causing severe leaf spots in pepper plants has been observed in northern Gyeongbuk and Gangwon provinces in Korea since 1994. The current study diagnosed the disease as gray leaf spot caused by Stemphylium solani Weber and S. lycopersici (Enjoji) Yamamoto, both of which are pathogenic in pepper and tomato plants. Although the disease has been found in almost all areas where peppers are grown, it is more severe in mountain terrains where the nights are cool. Both species of pathogenic fungi were found to sporu-late profusely on V-8 juice agar in plastic or Pyrex glass Petri dishes, although not in domestically-produced glass Petri dishes, when cultured at $20^{\circ}C$ under irradi-ation from a daylight fluorescent lamp with a 12-hour light and dark alternation. The domestically-produced glass Petri dishes, which are made of window glass, were found to block near ultraviolet wavelengths, around and below 300 nm, which explained why the fungi did not sporulate. However, sporulation decreased at above $25^{\circ}C$ and most isolates failed to sporulate above $27^{\circ}C$. The worst level of disease was obtained when the inoculated plants were incubated with a $15^{\circ}C$ night and $20^{\circ}C$ day temperature regime relative to 4 night/day temperature combinations (15/20, 20/25, 25/30, and 30/35$^{\circ}C$).