Stemphylium herbarum

Stemphylium herbarum is a species of fungus in the family Pleosporaceae. It is a plant pathogen that causes leaf spot diseases in a variety of plants, including vegetables, fruits, and ornamental plants.

Taxonomy

The genus Stemphylium was first described by the German mycologist Gustav Wilhelm Körber in 1857. The species Stemphylium herbarum was later described by the French mycologist Jean Baptiste Édouard Bornet in 1873. The genus name Stemphylium is derived from the Greek words stemphylos, meaning "dense", and ium, a suffix used in taxonomy to denote a place or habitat. The species name herbarum is Latin for "of herbs", referring to the plant hosts of this fungus.

Description

Stemphylium herbarum is characterized by its dark brown to black conidia, which are borne on short conidiophores. The conidia are multicellular, typically with 3-5 transverse septa and 1-3 longitudinal or oblique septa. The fungus produces asexual spores through a process known as conidiation.

Pathogenicity

Stemphylium herbarum is a pathogen of many plant species, causing leaf spot diseases. The fungus infects the leaves of the host plant, causing small, circular to irregularly shaped spots. These spots often have a dark brown to black border and a tan to gray center. As the disease progresses, the spots can coalesce, leading to extensive leaf blighting and defoliation.

Management

Management of Stemphylium herbarum involves a combination of cultural practices and chemical control. Cultural practices include crop rotation, removal of infected plant debris, and use of resistant cultivars. Chemical control involves the use of fungicides to prevent or reduce infection.

See also

• List of Stemphylium species
• Leaf spot