First report of Bipolaris sacchari causing wheat stem-base disease in Iran M.J. Soleimani* and S. Kazemi

Inoculum for pathogenicity tests was produced by seeding 200 g of sterile wheat stubble in an Erlenmeyer flask with four 5-mm diameter mycelial plugs from 5-day old fungal colonies grown on agar medium, and incubating at room temperature for 3 weeks. The inoculated wheat straw was incorporated into sterile soil (1% w/w), then transferred to five 25-cm pots and planted with 8 wheat seeds per pot. Control plants were grown in soil containing 1 % sterile wheat straw. The treatments were replicated five times. Plants were grown in a greenhouse for 75 days at 24°C, then scored for disease (Singleton et al, 1992). Symptoms were similar to those observed in the field and no disease was found in the control plants. The fungus was re-isolated from the infected parts. In a separate study using wheat cultivars 'Alvand' and 'Roushan', the pathogen caused a significant reduction on seed germination and plant height.

To our knowledge, this is the first detailed report of root and stem rot disease of wheat caused by B. sacchari in Iran. Further field studies are needed on the ecology and pathogenicity of B. sacchari to formulate steps for controlling root and stem rot of wheat.

Acknowledgment

Financial support for this work by the Research Council of Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran, is gratefully acknowledged.