Ascochyta pisi. [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria].
Abstract A description is provided for Ascochyta pisi. Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: On Pisum, Lathyrus and Vicia. DISEASE: Leaf, stem and pod spot of pea (Pisum sativum) and other legumes. The leaf lesion is somewhat light brown with a darker, frequently prominent, margin and pale centre. Stem lesions, rather sunken, are less abundant than in Mycosphaerella pinodes (CMI Descript. 340). Ascochyta pisi (causing post-emergence and pre-emergence damping-off and dwarfing) is essentially an above-ground pathogen and, although a basal stem rot may be found, the characteristic foot rot syndrome caused by M. pinodes does not occur. Primary lesions often form on the first leaves. Pod infection can lead to aborted seed or a range of other damage to seed. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Widespread (CMI Map 273, ed. 3, 1971). New records not yet mapped are: Crete, Egypt, Haiti. TRANSMISSION: By water, through conidia, from host debris and seed (20: 441; 37: 258; 44, 2658); viability in seed was 6 yr (17: 427). Effective spread in soil is unlikely since A. pisi has a low saprophytic ability and chlamydospores are rare or absent (48, 1389, 1390).