Identification of Grovesinia moricola Causing Zonate Leaf Spots on Lespedeza cyrtobotrya in Korea

In September 2017, a heavy damage by premature defoliation with the zonate leaf spots was observed in several shrubs of Lespedeza cyrtobotrya growing at Mt. Obongsan in Chuncheon, Korea. Numerous cone-shaped, white sporophores of a fungus were observed on lesions of the abaxial leaf surface. A similar fungus was isolated in September 2019 from the leaves of L. cyrtobotrya growing at Mt. Taegisan in Hoengseong, Korea. The morphological characteristics of the sporophores were consistent with those of Grovesinia moricola. The species identification was confirmed by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA from the two isolates (KACC48417 and KACC48934). The fungal pathogenicity was determined by an artificial inoculation in conditions of relative humidity and temperature of 100% and 15±2℃, respectively. This is the first report of association of G. moricola with L. cyrtobotrya in Korea.