Curvularia spicifera (Bainier) Boedijn, Bull. Jard.

Zibani, Abdenour, Sicora, Oana, Marian, Monica & Benslimane, Hamida, 2024, Multi-locus phylogeny and morphology of Curvularia isolates associated with leaf spots of corn in northern Algeria unveiled two new species, C. algeriensis sp. nov. and C. boudouaouensis sp. nov., with a new record for C. spicifera, Phytotaxa 650 (1), pp. 23-46 : 38-39

Curvularia spicifera (Bainier) Boedijn, Bull. Jard. bot. Buitenz, 3 Sér. 13(1): 127 (1933). FIGURE 4 .

≡ Helminthosporium spiciferum (Bainier) Nicot, Öst. bot. Z. 100: 482 (1953)

≡ Bipolaris spicifera (Bainier) Subram., Hyphomycete (New Delhi): 756 (1971)

≡ Dendryphion spiciferum (Bainier) Sacc.& Traverso, Syll. fung. (Abellini) 19: 560 (1910)

= Pseudocochliobolus spicifer (R.R. Nelson) Tsuda, Ueyama & Nishih., Mycologia 69(6): 1119 (1978) [1977]

= Helminthosporium tetramera McKinney, Bull. U.S. Department of Agriculture 1347: 33 (1925)

≡ Curvularia tetramera (McKinney) Boedijn ex J.C. Gilman, Manual of Soil Fungi: 303 (1945)

≡ Bipolaris tetramera (McKinney) Shoemaker, Can. J. Bot. 37(5): 884 (1959)

≡ Drechslera tetramera (McKinney) Subram.& B.L. Jain, Curr. Sci. 35: 355 (1966)

Type: Spain, Burgos, from soil, Nov. 1951, J. Nicot, authentic strain of Brachycladium spiciferum Bainier CBS 274.52.

Pathogenic on corn, causing numerous irregular, pale yellow to straw-colored spots and streaks on leaves, sometimes with a tiny dark brown necrotic center. Asexual morph on PDA: Hyphae hyaline to subhyaline to pale brown, smooth, branched, spate, (2)2.5–4.5(5.5) μm. Conidiophores arising at right angles to the hyphae, septate, flexuous, branched, basal part sometimes verruculose, pale towards the apex, upper part usually larger, darker, and repeatedly geniculate forming a zig-zag rachis bearing conidia in clusters, (39.5)56–182(290) × (3)3.5–4.5(5) μm (avr. 119 × 4 μm vs. 90 × 4 μm on the host). Conidiogenous cells smooth-walled, polytretic, terminal or intercalary, proliferating sympodially, dark brown, subcylindrical. Conidia smooth-walled, thin-walled, brown or golden brown, straight with rounded ends, cylindrical to subcylindrical, 3-septate, rarely 4-septate, (11.5)18.5–26(29) × (6)7.5–9.5(11.5) μm (avr. 22.5 × 8.4 μm) on PDA and (18.5)26.5–33.5(42) × (7.5)8.5–10(11) μm (avr. 30 × 9 μm) on the host; hila inconspicuous; germination from one or both ends. Microconidiation present, forming 1–2-celled, pale or brown, globose to ellipsoidal conidia, (4.5)7–11(11.5) × (4.5)5.5–8(9) μm μm. Chlamydospores and Sexual morph not observed.

Culture characteristics: Colonies on PDA fast growing, reaching 63 mm diam. in 1 week at 25 ° C, grey, cottony, convex, and irregular with undulate margin; reverse dark brown.

Additional specimens examined: ALGERIA, Algiers, Ain Taya (in the littoral region), from diseased corn leaves, 21 Jul. 2018, A. Zibani (living culture AT-102).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Curvularia spicifera (AT-102). a 7-day-old colony on PDA. b symptoms on inoculated corn leaf. c conidiophores with attached conidia on PDA. d–f conidiophores on PDA. g conidia on the host. h, i: germinating conidia on water agar. Scale bars = c–g: 25 µm; h, i: 10 µm.