First Report of Waitea Ring Patch caused by Waitea circinata on Zoysiagrass

A new pathogen was isolated from zoysiagrass-planted park of Jeju island in 2014. Symptoms appeared a type of irregular patches occurring brownish leaf blight, followed by stem and crown rot. The symptom was very similar to that of large patch caused by Rhizoctonia solani, a well-known devastating zoysiagrass disease. The isolate showed thin orange-colored mycelia and screlotia were formed on the medium based on cultural characteristics. The causal agent of the disease was finally identified as Waitea circinata by analysis of ribosomal DNA. On the inoculation test, Waitea circinatae showed strong pathogenicity to the zoysiagrass. The mycelia were obviously observed in the inoculated tissues. This is the first report of Waitea ring patch caused by Waitea circinata on zoysiagrass.