First Report of Curvularia Leaf Blight Caused by Curvularia trifolii on Creeping Bentgrass in Korea

Curvularia leaf blight of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) putting green by caused Curvularia trifolii was observed in Hapcheon, Korea. In July to September 2014, curvularia leaf blight developed on leaf blades of creeping bentgrass as small water-soaked lesions that subsequently turned into dark-colored, necrotic spots. The spots were expanded and became gray, grayish-brown, or light brown, circular to oblong lesions with purple to dark brown borders that often were surrounded by a yellow halo. The necrotic lesions coalesced, became irregular in shape and caused tip or complete blighting of the leaves. Blighted leaf blades appeared grayish-white to tan. The fungus was identified by morphological characters and 16S rDNA sequencing as C. trifolii. Conidia of the pathogen were short, with predominantly 3-septa, straight or often curved, with end cells frequently paler than intermediate cells. Size of the 3-septate conidia in culture are 26~28×11~12 μm. Pathogenicity of the fungus was proved by artificial inoculation on the host. This is the first report of C. trifolii causing leaf blight on creeping bentgrass in Korea.