First report of Leptosphaeria maculans and Leptosphaeria biglobosa causing blackleg disease of oilseed rape in Tunisia

. Blackleg has been observed in oilseed rape in Tunisia since 2017. Morpho-logical observations, pathogenicity tests, and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer regions for four fungal isolates from affected plants confirmed the presence of Leptosphaeria maculans and Leptosphaeria biglobosa. These results provide the first record of L. maculans and L. biglobosa as causes of blackleg of oilseed rape in Tunisia.

Automated summary

Blackleg has been detected in oilseed rape in Tunisia since 2017. Through morphological observations, pathogenicity tests, and sequencing, Leptosphaeria maculans and Leptosphaeria biglobosa were identified as the causes of blackleg. This study provides the first record of L. maculans and L. biglobosa in Tunisia's oilseed rape.