Blast pathogen of Festuca arundinacea found in Miyagi Prefecture, northern Honshu island, Japan.

Abstract

The pathogenicity and mycological aspects of blast fungi isolated from Festuca arundinacea in Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, were studied. They typically formed elliptical lesions with pointed ends, a whitish-grey center and reddish-brown margin on their host and on Italian ryegrass, but they did not form lesions on rice or crabgrass. They produced the dihydropyriculol, but not the pyrichalasin H which is characteristic toxin of crabgrass blast fungi. The RFLP band patterns of the β-tubulin gene from the isolates corresponded to those of Pyricularia oryzae; no products were amplified by Digitaria-specific primers. Thus, isolates from F. arundinacea were assessed to be P. oryzae.