Occurrence of Gray Mold in Wasabi Caused by Botrytis cinerea in Korea

Abstract

During crop disease surveys in 2019 and 2021, we observed gray mold symptoms on the leaves of wasabi (Eutrema japonicum) plants grown in vinyl greenhouses in Taebaek and Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, Korea. The symptoms appeared at the edges of the leaves, where the infected areas turned black and rotted, and many gray molds formed on the lesions. The incidence of gray mold on the leaves in the vinyl greenhouses at the two locations ranged from 1 to 30%. Four fungal isolates were obtained from leaf lesions and identified as Botrytis cinerea based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis. Two isolates of B. cinerea were used for pathogenicity tests on the leaves of wasabi plants by artificial inoculation. The pathogenicity of the isolates was confirmed in leaves. The symptoms induced by the isolates were similar to those observed in wasabi leaves in the vinyl greenhouses investigated. This is the first report of B. cinerea causing gray mold in wasabi in Korea.

Keywords

• botrytis cinerea
• eutrema japonicum
• gray mold
• wasabi