First Report of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis on Seashore Paspalum in the United States

Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis is an ectotrophic, root-infecting fungus found on some warm-season turfgrass species (1). A sample of seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) exhibiting rotted roots and stolons was taken from dying patches of turf in a home lawn in Hernando County, FL, and submitted to the Florida Extension Plant Disease Clinic, Gainesville, in October 2001. The lawn had been established within the previous year. Strongly lobed hyphopodia typical of G. graminis var. graminis (3,4) were present on diseased roots and stolons, and no other fungal plant pathogens were detected in the sample. Diseased roots and stolons with lobed hyphopodia were surface-sterilized and placed on one-quarter-strength potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with rifampicin and streptomycin. One isolate produced structures characteristic of G. graminis var. graminis (3,4), including dark, strongly lobed hyphopodia, and perithecia and ascospores in PDA after incubation. The isolate (PDC 2965) was grown on a sterile ryegrass seed substrate at 25°C for 4 weeks to produce inoculum (2). The isolate was used to inoculate pots of ‘Sea Isle 1’ seashore paspalum grown in sterile soil from sprigs. An inoculum layer, 1 to 2 cm deep, was placed 2 to 4 cm below each sprig and covered with an overlay of sterile soil prior to sprigging (2). Following 4 weeks of plant growth in a greenhouse, dark, necrotic lesions appeared on leaf bases. Very dark lesions developed on roots, and brown runner hyphae and strongly lobed hyphopodia were observed on root and shoot tissues. Selected pieces of symptomatic root and shoot tissue were surface-sterilized and placed on PDA. One week later, dark mycelia and deeply lobed hyphopodia were observed growing from roots and shoots on the PDA. After 1 month, black, flask-shaped perithecia, 156 to 234 μm in body width, developed in cultures. Hyaline, filiform, septate ascospores ranged from 75 to 100 μm (mean = 89 μm; n = 250) long and were approximately 2.5 μm wide. Hyphopodia, perithecia, and ascospores were characteristic of G. graminis var. graminis (3,4). To our knowledge, this is the first report of take-all root rot disease due to G. graminis var. graminis on seashore paspalum in the United States. References: (1) L. E. Datnoff et al. Plant Dis. 81:1127, 1997. (2) M. L. Elliott. Plant Dis. 79:699, 1995. (3) M. L. Elliott and P. J. Landschoot. Plant Dis. 75:238, 1991. (4) P. J. Landschoot. Taxonomy and biology of ectotrophic root-infecting fungi associated with patch diseases of turfgrasses. Pages 41–71 in: Turfgrass Patch Diseases. B. B. Clarke and A. B. Gould, eds. American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1997.