First report of Alternaria sp. PMK1: causative agent of leaf spot disease on parthenium weed

ABSTRACT

Congress grass, Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Asteraceae, tribe Heliantheae), is an erect and much branched annual or ephemeral herb, known as a pest for environmental, medical and agricultural reasons. Survey of fungal pathogens of P. hysterophorus was conducted in Kurukshetra and its adjoining areas, Haryana, India. A leaf spot pathogen Alternaria sp. PMK1 was isolated. Koch's postulates were performed and proved that this isolate was pathogenic to this weed. This is the first report of this pathogen causing leaf spot on parthenium weed.

KEYWORDS:

• Weed control
• biocontrol
• plant pathogen
• invasive weed

Acknowledgements

The authors, Manpreet Kaur and Neeraj Kumar Aggarwal, are thankful to the Director, CABI, International Mycological Institute, Egham, England for confirming the identification of the isolate. The author also thanks the University Grants Commission, New Delhi for providing financial assistance in the form of Maulana Azad National Fellowship for minority students.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.