First report of Botryosphaeria dothidea causing leaf blotch of Mahonia bealei in China

In April 2020, a leaf blotch disease was observed on Mahonia bealei in Nanjing, China, with an infection rate of ca. 81%. It leads to early defoliation in severe cases and affected the exploitation of its ornamental and medicinal values. Symptomatic leaves were collected from infected plants. After isolating the fungi, their pathogenicity were tested to satisfy Koch's postulate, and based on the multigene phylogeny ( ITS, LSU, SSU, TEF1-alpha and beta-tub) and morphology, the two isolates we obtained (SD3-6 and SD3-8 ) were identified as Botryosphaeria dothidea. This is the first report of B. dothidea causing leaf blotch of M. bealei in China.

Automated summary

In April 2020, leaf blotch disease caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea was found on Mahonia bealei in Nanjing, China. This discovery has implications for the ornamental and medicinal values of the plant.