Plant Diseases Caused By Fungi:

Ascomycota
 True Fungi
Kingdom Phylum Class
Fungi Ascomycota Hemiascomycetes
(Higher) Plectomycetes
Pyrenomycetes
Loculoascomycetes
Discomycetes

Basidiomycota Teliomycetes
Hymenomycetes

Note: Refer to Agrios (2005) for latest classification. Source: Ainsworth (1973)
Ascomycota: Fungal systemics

A cladogram showing the relationships between classes of

the Ascomycota (taxa in the shaded box).
Higher Fungi

Source: Agrios (2005)

 Ascomycota (Sac fungi)

n  Important characteristics:
§  Septate hyphae
§  Asexual reproduction (anamorph):
§  Conidia produced on conidiophores or in
fruiting bodies such as acervuli & pycnidia
§  Sexual reproduction (teleomorph):
§  Ascospores produced inside an specialized

sac-like cell (ascus; plural=asci) either naked

or in fruiting bodies called ascocarps
§  Usually 8 ascospores per ascus
 Sexual Reproduction
n  Types of ascocarps:
1.  Cleistotesium (spherical & closed)
2.  Perithecium (flask-shaped & with opening)
3.  Apothecium (saucer-shaped)
4.  Ascostroma (matrix of mycelium with cavities or
locules, either monolocular or multilocular)

Multilocular Monolocular

Source: Agrios (2005)

 Types of Ascocarp

Perithecium Cleistothecium
Apothecium
(with opening) (closed)
(open)

Pseudothecium (false,
appearing to be)
Asexual Reproduction

Source: Agrios (2005)

 1.  Hemiascomycetes
n  Saccharomyces
cerevisiae (yeast) – no
fruiting bodies
n  Important in wine &
bakery industries
n  Morphology: unicell
n  Asexual reproduction:
budding
n  Sexual reproduction:
ascospores Source: Webster, 1988
 2.  Plectomycetes

§  Filamentous ascomycetes
§  Ascocarp: cleistothecium
§  Examples:
i.  Aspergillus sp.
ii.  Penicillium sp.
iii.  Erysiphe sp.
iv.  Oidium sp.

Agrios 2005
Cleistothecium
 2.  Plectomycetes
1.  Aspergillus sp.
(anamorph/asexual stage)
§  Eurotium sp.
(teleomorph/sexual stage)
§  Aspergillus flavus:
produces aflatoxins
§  Aspergillus niger:
produces citric/gluconic
acid
Source: Agrios (2005)
 2.  Plectomycetes
2.  Penicillium sp. (anamorph)
§  Talaromyces sp.
(teleomorph)
§  P. italicum (blue mold)
§  P. digitatum (green mold)
§  P. chrysogenum: produces
penicillin
§  P. griseofulvum: produces
griseofulvin

Source: Agrios (2005)

 2.  Plectomycetes
iii.  Erysiphe cichoracearum
§  Disease: Powdery mildew
§  Host: Cucurbits
§  Obligate parasite Erysiphe cichoracearum: Powdery
mildew on cucumber.
§  Produces haustorium
v.  Oidium heveae
§  Disease: Powdery mildew
§  Host: Rubber
§  Causes secondary leaf fall
§  Attack young leaves
Oidium hevea: Powdery mildew
on rubber.
3.  Pyrenomycetes
n  Ascocarp: Perithecium
n  Order:
1.  Meliolales
2.  Chaetomiales
3.  Clavicipitales

Perithecium (with opening)

Flask-shaped fruiting bodies
 3.  Pyrenomycetes
i.  Order: Meliolales
§  Disease: Black mildew
§  Obligate parasite
§  Produces hypopodia
§  Interfere with photosynthesis
§  Associated with honeydew of insects such as
aphids & scale insects
§  Examples:
§  Meliola mangiferae (host: mango)
§  Meliola butleri (host: citrus)
3.  Pyrenomycetes (cont’)

Meliola mangiferae (host: mango)

 3.  Pyrenomycetes (cont’)
ii.  Order: Chaetomiales
§  Ascocarp: Perithecium with appendages
& ostioles
§  Saprophyte
§  E.g.: Chaetomium sp.
 3.  Pyrenomycetes (cont’)
ii.  Order: Clavicipitales Claviceps purpurea
1.  Claviceps purpurea
§  Disease: Ergot
§  Host: Rye & barley
§  Produce toxin, harmful to
humans & animals
2.  Ustilaginoidea virens
Two ergot sclerotia
§  Disease: False smut producing stroma
§  Host: Rice shaped like perithecia.
Sclerotia of ergot in
§  Attack flowers/grains
grains of wheat.

Source: Agrios (2005)

3.  Pyrenomycetes (cont’)

1.  Ustilaginoidea virens

§  Disease: False smut
§  Host: Rice
 4.  Discomycetes
n  Ascocarp: Apothecium
n  Saprophytes
§  E.g.: Peziza sp., Morchella sp.
n  Parasites
§  E.g.: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (stem rot
& white mold on vegetables & flowers),
Diplocarpon sp. (black spots on rose)
 Cup Shaped Apothecia

Devils Urn On lichens

 Some well-known Ascomycetes

Morels False Morels

(Morchella spp.) (Gyromitra spp.)
4.  Discomycetes (cont’)
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Stem rot & white

mold on potato (left)
and pepper (right).

Sclerotia in
Germinating sclerotia
tomato stem.
producing apothecia.

Source: Agrios (2005)

4.  Discomycetes (cont’)

§  Diplocarpon sp. (black spots on

rose)
 5.  Loculoascomycetes
n  Ascus produced in ascostroma
n  Examples:
1.  Scabs: Elsinoe fawcetti (host: citrus), Venturia
inaequalis (host: apple)
2.  Sooty molds: Capnodium sp., Limacinula sp.,
Tripospermum sp. (host: fruit trees)
3.  Sigatoka of banana: Mycosphaerella musicola
(teleomorph)/Cercospora musae (anamorph)
4.  South American Leaf Blight (SALB) of rubber:
Microcyclus ulei
5.  Loculoascomycetes (cont’)
Sooty molds:
Elsinoe
Tripospermum sp.,
fawcetti:
Limacinula sp.,
Citrus scab
Capnodium sp.

Mycosphaerella
musicola: Sigatoka
of banana

Mycrocyclus ulei: South American

Leaf Blight (SALB) of rubber
Source: JPT
 6.  Deuteromycetes
n  Fungi imperfecti
n  Reproduction: Asexual
n  Conidia produced on conidiophores
n  Conidia production:
§  Basipetal: youngest conidia nearest to
conidiophore
§  Acropetal: oldest conidia nearest to
conidiophore
§  Conidiogenous cells: phialide, annelide
6.  Deuteromycetes (cont’)
Basipetal conidia Conidiogenous cells

Phialide

Youngest conidium Annelide

Source: Agrios (2005); Webster (1988)

 6.  Deuteromycetes (cont’)
n  Order:
1.  Moniliales
2.  Melanconiales
3.  Sphaeropsidales
4.  Agonomycetales
 1.  Order: Moniliales
n  Produce micro- & macroconidia, no
fruiting body
n  Examples:
i.  Fusarium sp.
ii.  Drechslera sp. (previously known as Helminthosporium)
iii.  Alternaria sp.
iv.  Pyricularia sp.
v.  Cercospora sp.
vi.  Curvularia sp.
 1.  Order: Moniliales
§  Fusarium sp.
§  Wilt diseases
§  F. oxysporum f. sp.
cubensis: Panama wilt
of banana Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.
cubensis: Panama wilt of banana
§  F. o. f. sp. elaidis: Wilt
of oil palm (limited to
West Africa)
§  F. o. f. sp. lycopersici:
Wilt of tomato
Macroconidia Microconidia

Source: JPT; Agrios (2005)

 1.  Order: Moniliales

§  F. oxysporum f. sp. cubensis:

Panama wilt of banana
1.  Order: Moniliales

Mature palm Young palm

§  F. o. f. sp. elaidis: Wilt of oil palm (limited to
West Africa)
1.  Order: Moniliales

§  F. o. f. sp. lycopersici: Wilt of tomato

 1.  Order: Moniliales (cont’)

ii.  Drechslera sp.

§  D. oryzae: Brown spot
of rice
§  D. maydis: Leaf blight
of corn
Drechslera heveae: Bird eye spot of rubber.
§  D. hevea: Bird eye spot
of rubber
iii.  Alternaria sp.
§  Disease: Leaf spots
§  Host: wide host range,
esp. ornamentals,
vegetables (e.g., Alternaria solani: Leaf Dark brown conidia of
Brassica, potato, spot of tobacco. Alternaria sp..
tomato), tobacco
Source: JPT, Agrios (2005), Malloch (U. Toronto)
1.  Order: Moniliales (cont’)

Alternaria
1.  Order: Moniliales (cont’)
iv.  Pyricularia oryzae
§  Disease: Blast
§  Host: Rice

Pyricularia oryzae: Rice blast (left) and conidia

(right).
Source: JPT, Agrios (2005)
 1.  Order: Moniliales (cont’)
iv.  Cercospora sp.
§  Disease: Leaf spots
a.  C. arachidicola (Host:
peanut)
b.  C. capsici (Host:
chilli)
Conidia of Cercospora sp.
c.  C. albelmoschi (Host:
okra)
d.  C. oryzae (Host: rice,
narrow brown spot)

Cercospora oryzae: Narrow brown

spot of rice.
Source: JPT, Agrios (2005)
 1.  Order: Moniliales (cont’)
vi.  Curvularia sp.
§  Disease: Leaf spots
§  Host: palms (coconut, oil palm,
ornamental palms), turf grass
§  Symptom: brown spot with yellow halo
 2.  Melanconiales
n  Produce conidia in fruiting body called
acervulus (saucer-like shape)
n  Examples:
i.  Colletotrichum sp.
ii.  Pestalotiopsis sp.
 2.  Melanconiales (cont’)
i.  Colletotrichum sp. A) B)

§  Disease: Anthracnose
§  C. gloeosporioides
(Host: mango, conidia
rod-shaped)
§  C. capsici (Host: chilli,
conidia sickle-shaped) (A) Colletotrichum capsici: Anthracnose of chilli,
(B) Conidia and setae (black pointed structure).

Source: JPT, Agrios (2005)

 2.  Melanconiales (cont’)
ii.  Pestalotiopsis sp.
§  Disease: Leaf spots
§  Host: palms
 3.  Sphaeropsidales
n  Produce conidia in fruiting body called
pycnidium (flask shaped fruiting bodies)
n  Examples:
§  Phoma sp.: Seedling rot
§  Septoria sp.: Leaf blight (Host: celery)

Source: Agrios (2005)

4.  Agonomycetales
n  Sterile fungi
n  Produce sterile mycelia & sclerotia
n  Sexual reproduction & structures
extremely rare, lacking or unkown
n  Examples:
i.  Rhizoctonia solani
ii.  Sclerotium rolfsii
§  Teleomorphic stage of some species within
these 2 genera showed that they are
Basidiomycetes
 4.  Agonomycetales (cont’)
i.  Rhizoctonia solani
n  Disease: sheath blight
n  Host: Rice, grasses (Bermuda grass,
centipede grass)

Sclerotia

Typical Rhizoctonia hyphae showing its

Rhizoctonia solani: Sheath blight of rice. branching at a right angle and septa
Source: JPT close to the branching point.
Source: APSNet
 4.  Agonomycetales (cont’)
ii.  Sclerotium rolfsii
§  Disease: Foot rot, damping-off of seedlings,
etc.
§  Host: wide host range, most common hosts
are legumes, crucifers & cucurbits (e.g., chilli,
brinjal, peanut, tomato)
Sclerotium rolfsii: Foot rot
of chilli.

Sclerotia

Source: JPT
Thank You