First Report of Alternaria Leaf Spot Caused by Alternaria sp. on Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) in South Korea

In South Korea, the culture, production, and consumption of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) have increased rapidly over the past 10 years. In June and July 2012, blueberry plants with leaf spots (~10% of disease incidence) were sampled from a blueberry orchard in Jinju, South Korea. Leaf symptoms included small (1 to 5 mm in diameter) brown spots that were circular to irregular in shape. The spots expanded and fused into irregularly shaped, large lesions with distinct dark, brownish-red borders. The leaves with severe infection dropped early. A fungus was recovered consistently from sections of surface-disinfested (1% NaOCl) symptomatic leaf tissue after transfer onto water agar and sub-culture on PDA at 25°C. Fungal colonies were dark olive and produced loose, aerial hyphae on the culture surfaces. Conidia, which had 3 to 6 transverse septa, 1 to 2 longitudinal septa, and sometimes also a few oblique septa, were pale brown to golden brown, ellipsoid to ovoid, obclavate to obpyriform, and 16 to 42 × 7 to...