• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.187-190
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• 2016

In July 2015, diseased leaves of black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) were observed in Danyang and Gochang, Korea. The symptoms appeared as circular or irregular brown leaf spots, from which Alternaria tenuissima was isolated. The isolates were cultured on potato dextrose agar, and their morphological characteristics were observed under a light microscope. The colonies were whitish to ash colored. The pathogenicity test on healthy black chokeberry leaves produced circular brown spots, in line with the original symptoms. Molecular analyses of the ITS, GPD, RPB2, and TEF genes were conducted to confirm the identity of the pathogen. The phylogeny of the multi-gene sequences indicated that the causal agent was A. tenuissima. This study is the first report of A. tenuissima leaf spot on black chokeberry (A. melanocarpa).

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.50-54
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• 2016

In early June 2014, leaf spot symptoms were observed on black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) in Yesan-gun and Geumsan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do in Korea. The initial symptoms on leave surfaces were brown small-circular spots with a yellow halo lesion, and gradually the small spots were fused, all of infected leaves dropped eventually. A fungus were isolated from the initial lesion, and cultured on potato dextrose agar. Colony color on upper surface of plate varied from olive gray to charcoal gray. Size of conidia mostly extend to $19-50{\times}5-9{\mu}m$ in nature and $20-59{\times}8-13{\mu}m$ in culture, with 3-8 transverse septa and usually no longitudinal septum or only 1 longitudinal septum in 1-3 of the transverse compartments, and also have a short or long beak. Pathogenicity was investigated using wounded or unwounded black chokeberry and apple leaves. After 7 days of inoculation, leaf spots were similar to the symptoms naturally occurred in the field. On the basis of mycological characteristics, pathogenicity, and ITS rDNA sequence analysis, this fungus was identified as Alternaria mali. This is the first report of Alternaria leaf spot on black chokeberry caused by A. mali in Korea.

• Mycobiology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.39-43
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• 2017

Leaf spot disease on black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) was observed at several locations in Korea during 2014-2015. Leaf spots were distinct, scattered over the leaf surface and along the leaf border, subcircular to irregular and brown surrounded by a distinct dark color, and were expanded and coalesced into irregularly shaped lesions. Severely infected leaves became dry and fell off eventually. The causative agent was identified as Pseudocercospora pyricola. Morphological observations and phylogenetic analyses of multiple genes, including internal transcribed spacer, translation elongation factor 1-alpha, actin, and the large subunit ribosomal DNA were conducted. The pathogenicity test was conducted twice yielding similar results, fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report on P. pyricola infection of A. melanocarpa globally.