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Batiki blue grass eye spot (207)

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Photo 1. Numerous small eye spots with light centres and reddish margins, caused by Curvularia ischaemi on batiki blue grass leaves, Ischaemum indicum.

Common Name

Batiki blue grass eye spot

Scientific Name

Curvularia ischaemi

Distribution

World distribution unknown. It is recorded from Fiji and Solomon Islands.

Hosts

Ischaemum indicum, batiki blue grass.

Symptoms & Life Cycle

Small spots, 0.5-1 mm diameter, grey with a reddish to purple border on the leaves (Photo 1). The spores are rare in the field, but occur on the dying leaf tips and on dead leaves. They are spread by wind and also on planting material, if cuttings rather than seed is used to establish pastures.

Impact

There is no information on the damage done by this eye spot fungus. Spots are very numerous on the leaves, so it is possible that they cause the leaves to die early.

Detection & Inspection

Look for the small spots with light centres and reddish margins on the leaves. This is a common leaf spot wherever the grass is grown in Fiji and Solomon Islands.

Management

Although this is an important pasture grass, and the disease is present wherever it is grown, control is impractical unless a variety of the host is bred for resistance. If the disease is limiting pasture production, it would be best to replant with another grass species than trying to control eye spot on batiki blue.

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