Phytophthora megasperma

Phytophthora megasperma
Symptoms of Phytophthora megasperma on soybean
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Chromalveolata
Phylum: Heterokontophyta
Class: Oomycetes
Subclass: Incertae sedis
Order: Pythiales
Family: Pythiaceae
Genus: Phytophthora
Species: P. megasperma
Binomial name
Phytophthora megasperma
Drechsler, (1931)
Synonyms

Pythiomorpha miyabeana S. Ito & Nagai, (1931)

Phytophthora megasperma is a species of water mould in the family Pythiaceae. It is well known as a plant pathogen with many hosts. It often causes a plant disease called root rot.[1]

This is a poorly defined species which is generally called a species complex. Its name applies to water moulds of many forms, functions, and host preferences, many of which are actually different species which have not yet been separated and described.[2][3] Some species previously treated as part of the complex include Phytophthora rosacearum, P. sansomeana, P. sojae, P. medicaginis, and P. trifolii.[3] A form of P. megasperma is suspected to be a separate species when it is recognized to have host specificity, when it is found attacking just one host plant; alfalfa in the case of P. medicaginis, for example.[2]

Water moulds in the P. megasperma complex can be found on a multitude of host plants, including many agricultural crops. It has been noted on kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa), horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), hollyhock (Alcea rosea), asparagus (Asparagus officinalis), Brassica oleracea crops such as cabbage and cauliflower, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), chickpea (Cicer arietinum), carrot (Daucus carota), carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.), walnut (Juglans regia), apple (Malus domestica), pines (Pinus spp.), stone fruit such as apricot, cherry, plum, and peach, Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), and potato (Solanum tuberosum).[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Phytophthora megasperma. Plantwise Knowledge Bank.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Wilcox, W. F. and S. M. Mircetich. (1987). Lack of host specificity among isolates of Phytophthora megasperma. Phytopathology 77(8) 1132-37.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Hansen, E. M., et al. (2009). Phytophthora rosacearum and P. sansomeana, new species segregated from the Phytophthora megasperma “complex”. Mycologia 101(1) 129-35.

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