Zoysia Leaf Curl Mosaic and Its Causal Agent, a Eriophyid Mite (Aceria zoysiae)

Abstract

A previously undescribed disease was widely found to occur on zoysiagrasses, such asZoysia japonicaandZ. rnatrellain Japan. The typical symptoms showed white to yellow spots, streaks, and mosaic on newly emererging leaves, and curling along leaf margin. It suggested that the causal agent is a eriophyid mite, not viral etiology, on symptomatology, distribution, transmission tests, microscopic observation, and recovering tests by chemicals. The disease was easily spreaded by transfers of picked mites or expo-sure of mite-infested leaves. The symptoms were recovered by the treatmen ts of some chemicals. The causal eriophyid mite was identified to Aceria zoysiae (Baker, Kono and O' Neill) (=Eriophyes zoysiaeBaker, Kono and O'Neill), and the disease was proposed to designate zoysia leaf curl mosaic.