Diversity of Fungi Inducing Leaf Spot on Spigelia anthelmia and Porphyrostemma chevalieri

Abstract

Leaf spot is a common descriptive term applied to a number of diseases affecting plants. The majority of spots are caused by fungi. Different leaf spots were observed on Spigelia anthelmia and Porphyrostemma chevalieri in Zaria area, Nigeria. The fungi were isolated by direct plating method on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) amended with streptomycin sulphate (1.5g/l). In vitro inoculation of healthy leaves of these plants produced spots symptoms. Macrophoma sp., Nigrospora aerophila and Trichoderma sp were isolated from Spigelia anthelmia while Macrophomina sp., Alternaria sp., and Helicosporium sp were isolated from Porphyrostemma chevalieri. These uncultivated plants serve as reservoir hosts of these fungi as the fungi isolated have been reported on cultivated plants. It can be concluded from this research that Spigelia anthelmia and Porphyrostemma chevalieri can serve as reservoir hosts of the isolated fungi which may infect the cultivated plants by producing leaf spots. It is therefore recommended that proper weeding is required to prevent the growth and establishment of the uncultivated plants (Spigelia anthelmia and Porphyrostemma chevalieri).

Keywords

• Fungi
• Leaf spot
• Spigelia anthelmia
• Porphyrostemma chevalieri