''Pyrenophora seminiperda'' is a minor plant pathogen that causes leaf spots on many grasses. It is an important generalist grass seed pathogen which causes visible cylindrical masses of black fungal hyphae (stromata) to grow from infected seeds. Hence the common name "black fingers of death" BFOD4TC

It has been hypothesized that the fungus arrived in North America with invasive grasses from Eurasia. BFOD has been suggested as a method of biocontrol of the invasive

cheatgrass ''Bromus tectorum'', known as downy brome, drooping brome or cheatgrass, is a winter annual grass native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and northern Africa, but has become invasive in many other areas. It now is present in most of Europe, southe ...

, one of the most important invasive species in the USA. Various

secondary metabolites Secondary metabolites, also called specialised metabolites, toxins, secondary products, or natural products, are organic compounds produced by any lifeform, e.g. bacteria, fungi, animals, or plants, which are not directly involved in the nor ...

of the fungus, including

Cytochalasin B Cytochalasin B, the name of which comes from the Greek ''cytos'' (cell) and ''chalasis'' (relaxation), is a cell-permeable mycotoxin. It was found that substoichimetric concentrations of cytochalasin B (CB) strongly inhibit network formation by act ...

, Pyrenophoric Acid-B, and Spirostaphylotrichin W, appears to be responsible for the seed killing.

References

External links

Dr. Erin Mordecai discusse
BFOD and Cheatgrass
during a seminar at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at University of Michigan, Feb. 16, 2017
Index Fungorum

USDA ARS Fungal Database
Pyrenophora Fungal plant pathogens and diseases Wheat diseases {{plant-disease-stub