First report of Aspergillus terreus causing sunken leaf spot on Dracaena aletriformis in India

Large-leaved dragon tree (Dracaena aletriformis L.) is an ornamental house plant of Asparagaceae family and native to tropical Africa. In summer 2017, dragon tree leaves showing sunken spots symptoms were observed in several grown on the premises of the CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow. The fungus was isolated from the lesions and its pathogenicity was confirmed. The fungus was identified based on morphological characteristics and confirmed through analysis of DNA sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the ribosomal DNA. This is the first report on Dracaena aletriformis sunken leaf spot disease caused by Aspergillus terreus.