The fungus Phoma sp. (sect. Peyronellaea) was consistently isolated from infected Paspalum atratum cv. Pojuca (Pojuca grass) plants with leaf spot symptoms in the Federal District, Brazil, in 2002. Conidia were hyaline, usually ellyptical, unicellular, gutullate, 2,50-5,25 x 10,25-17,25 mum. Pycnidia were mostly solitary, 100-310 mum diameter, globose, usually with a short neck. Multicellular chlamidospores often resembling conidia of Alternaria were present in the colonies. Pathogenicity tests under greenhouse conditions and subsequent reisolations of Phoma sp. from artificially inoculated Pojuca seedlings confirmed the hypothesis that this fungus was the causal agent of the disease. Symptoms of leaf spot appeared four to five days after inoculation in 100% of the inoculated Pojuca grass plants. All seven species of grasses evaluated were susceptible to this fungus. The occurrence of leaf spots of Pojuca grass caused by Phoma sp. is reported for the first time in Brazil.
Phoma sect. Peyronellaea; patogenicity; grass plant; seed
