Identification and Characterization of Paraphoma chrysanthemicola Causing Leaf Spot Disease on Atractylodes japonica in China. Issue 6 (15th December 2015) - Ge, Xinxin
Abstract: Atractylodes japonica is a perennial herb in Compositae family, which is used for stomach disorders as a traditional Chinese medicine (Guo et al.2006 ). In 2013, a leaf spot disease was first observed on plants of A. japonica in a production field of Fushun County, Liaoning Province, China. The disease had a speckled appearance initially. Lesions with grey–white centre and brown margin gradually developed and enlarged. Eventually, infections usually caused yellowing of the leaves and premature defoliation. The causal agent of infection on plants was identified as Paraphoma chrysanthemicola based on morphological and cultural characteristics, pathogenicity tests and phylogenetic analysis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a leaf spot disease on A. japonica caused by P. chrysanthemicola in China.