Abstract
First report of Clonostachys rhizophaga as a pathogen of water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) in Anhui Province of China.
Abstract
In September 2017, black spots were observed on approximately 80% of the water chestnuts (Eleocharis dulcis) in several villages of Wuwei County, Anhui, China. The diseased water chestnuts showed longitudinal chlorosis streaks with black spots on the stem surface and internal vascular necrosis. The causal pathogen was isolated and identified as Clonostachys rhizophaga based on morphological, molecular and pathogenicity analyses. A 592 bp fragment of tub2 gene was deposited in the GenBank (accession no. MH325937). This is thought to be the first report of C. rhizophaga infecting water chestnut plants in China.