The First Record of Southern Blight on Pineapple Lily, Prairie Poppy Mallow, Creeping Phlox, White Cup and Melampodium in Japan

Abstract

In 2012, pineapple lily (Eucomis autumnalis), prairie poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata), creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera) and white cup (Nierembergia rivularis) were blighted in flower beds in Saitama Pref., and similar symptoms occurred in melampodium (Melampodium paludosum) in flower beds in Tokyo Metro. The pathogens isolated from each diseased plant were identified as Sclerotium rolfsii by morphological observations. In addition, the homology of the rDNA-ITS region is high to that of S. rolfsii. This is the first report of the diseases in Japan.