Open Access

ARTICLE

First report of lemon verbena crown rot caused by Phytophthora cactorum in Iran

Moshrefi Zarandi D¹, MM Aminaee², S Rezaee³, A Sharzei⁴

1 Young Researchers and Elite Club, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Plant Protection, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Kerman, Iran.
3 Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
4 Department of Plant Pathology, Aburaihan Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Address correspondence to: Delbar Moshrefi Zarandi, Young Researchers and Elite Club, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. 14778-93855, e-mail:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2016, 85(all), 246-248. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2016.85.246

Abstract

Lemon verbena (Lippia citriodora) is a medicinal plant from the Verbenacea family. Its plantation and medicinal use in Iran has risen greatly in recent years. Crown and root rot symptoms were observed on this plant in some farms and greenhouses of Kerman province during November 2012. The infected plants were taken to the laboratory. Then, samples of infected root tissues were removed and were surface sterilized with 0.5% sodium hypochlorite and cultured onto CMA-PARPH medium. Based on morphological features, the isolated fungus was identified as Phytophthora cactorum. Pathogenicity test was performed using inoculated wheat seeds. To our knowledge this is the first report of Phytophthora cactorum on lemon verbena in Iran.

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