Bipolaris yamadae as a causal agent of brown leaf spot in Megathyrsus maximus in Brazil

Abstract

Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) is widely used as a forage crop in Brazil, but its production faces disease threats. Recently, new symptoms, such as oblong to irregular brown lesions on leaves, have emerged in M. maximus across the country. Particularly severe symptoms were observed in the BRS Tamani cultivar, and some other genotypes showed lesion coalescence and intense leaf necrosis. This study aimed to identify the cause of these symptoms. A fungus was isolated from the lesions and, using morphological measurements and molecular analysis of the ITS, GPDH and TEF-1α genes, it was identified as Bipolaris yamadae. Pathogenicity tests confirmed its ability to cause disease in M. maximus cv. Tamani. A field survey of 205 M maximus genotypes showed severe symptoms in 8.35 % of the materials.