Abstract
An ascomycetous, yeast-like fungus was isolated from lesions of soybean (cv. Murasakizukin) seeds that had been sucked by pentatomid bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Kyoto prefecture. Based on morphological and physiological characteristics and sequence data of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions including 5.8S rDNA, these yeast-like fungi were identified as Eremothecium coryli (Peglion) Kurtzman (syn. Nematospora coryli). After healthy, immature soybean seeds (cv. Maihime and Enrei) were inoculated with the isolated fungus, symptoms of the disease were reproduced, and the fungus was reisolated from the lesions. This fungus is widely known as causing a “yeast-spot disease” pathogen of soybean seeds, but has not previously been reported in Japan. Thus, the common name yeast spot (‘Shijitsu-ohan-byo’ in Japanese) is proposed for this disease of soybean.
