FIRST REPORT OF PESTALOTIOPSIS ALGERIENSIS CAUSING LEAF SPOT DISEASE IN MAGNOLIA CHAMPACA L.Dinku Mahanta, Rajib Kumar Borah and Jitu GogoiAbstract Magnolia champaca L. is well-known for its high timber value and medicinal properties. Hence, in India and other places of world, M. champaca is being grown in a large scale. But, due to unscientific cultivation practices, new diseases are emerging in the nursery. Leaves of M. champaca infected with leaf spot disease were observed in the Silviculture nurseries of Rajavatkhawa, West Bengal. The causal organism was identified as Pestalotiopsis algeriensis (ID. NO11690.22). During pathogenicity test, similar disease symptoms were observed on the artificially inoculated leaves of M. champaca seedlings. Scanning of literature has revealed P. algeriensis as new host record on M. champaca and this is the first record from India. |