''Cercospora arachidicola'' is a fungal
ascomycete
Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The defi ...
plant pathogen that causes early leaf spot of
peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...
. Peanuts (''Arachis hypogaea'') originated in South America and are cultivated globally in warm, temperate and tropical regions.
All cultivars of peanuts are equally susceptible to peanut fungal pathogens; however, ''C. arachidicola'' is an economically important peanut pathogen and is responsible for significant economic losses in the peanut industry, more specifically in the Southeastern, Eastern, and the
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...
.
Early leaf spot of peanut can drastically reduce yields, leading to economic downturn of the peanut crop economy.
Annual crop losses in the United States range anywhere from less than 1% to greater than 50% depending on disease management and treatment.
Host and symptoms
''Cercospora arachidicola'' only infects peanut plants, causing symptoms of brown lesions with
chlorotic
In botany, chlorosis is a condition in which leaves produce insufficient chlorophyll. As chlorophyll is responsible for the green color of leaves, chlorotic leaves are pale, yellow, or yellow-white. The affected plant has little or no ability to ...
rings on the stems, leaves, and
petioles. The first macroscopic symptoms usually appear on the