A serious attack by Spermospora avenae on oats—a disease new to Western Europe

Abstract

Symptoms of red leather leaf of oats were widespread and severe in spring 1988 on autumn‐sown oat crops in the south and east of Ireland. The disease was characterized by grey‐brown elliptical lesions, developing into light‐grey eyespots surrounded by dark borders. Plants were stunted and showed reddish‐brown foliar pigmentation extending beyond the lesions. Spermospora avenae was isolated and shown to be pathogenic to oats. Cultural characteristics of the pathogen on several agar media are described. The disease has previously been reported only from the USA, Turkey and Australia.

Redefining genera of cereal pathogens: Oculimacula, Rhynchosporium and Spermospora

“…Notes : Neospermospora avenae causes red leather leaf disease of oats, reducing grain yield and hay quality, and has been reported from Europe, the USA, Turkey and Australia ( Cunningham 1990 , Zaveri et al 2020 ). Based on the isolates included in the phylogeny, it appears that an undescribed species of Neospermospora (CBS 388.64) also occurs on Avena in Japan.…”