Occurrence of Drechslera and Curvularia on grass seed in New Zealand

Abstract

Seeds of five ryegrass varieties, Lolium perenne L. ‘Grasslands Ruanui’, L. multiflorum Lam. ‘Grasslands Paroa’, L. multiflorum ‘Grasslands Tama’ Westerwolds, Lolium (multiflorum × perenne) ‘Grasslands Manawa’, and Lolium ((multiflorum × perenne) × perenne) ‘Grasslands Ariki’, and of Agrostis tenuis Sibth., Cynosurus cristatus L., Dactylis glomerata L., Festuca rubra L., and Phleum pratense L. were examined for the presence of Drechslera spp. and Curvularia spp. after 8 days' incubation on damp blotters. Twelve Drechslera spp. and two Curvularia spp. were identified on ryegrass seed, the most common species being D. diciyoides (Drechsler) Shoemaker, D. siccans (Drechsler) Shoemaker, and D. nobleae McKenzie & Matthews. The frequency of their occurrence varied considerably among the ryegrass varieties. Fewer Drechslera spp., and only one Curvularia sp., were found on the other five grasses. The largest variety of species was found on Dactylis glomerata seed, but rone of the species was common. D. avenae (Eidam) Scharif and D. phlei (Graham) Shoemaker were frequently found on seed of Cynosurus cristatus and Phleum pratense respectively.