Pathogenicity of Corynespora cassiicola from eggplant to various plant species

Emerging fungal pathogens could bring irreversible damage to economically important plant species resulting in yield losses. One method of control of plant diseases is crop rotation, whereby the main cultivated crop is rotated with other crops. However, for crop rotation to be successful, the alternative crop must be a non-susceptible or non-host plant of the pathogen. In January 2021, for the first time, Corynespora cassiicola was reported to cause leaf spots and fruit rot in eggplant (Solanum melongena) in the Philippines. This study investigated the potential host range of newly reported C. cassiicola in controlled, repeated pathogenicity assays. Of the 36 plant species (19 plant families) assayed for leaf infection, 26 and 23 plant species were pathogenic to C. cassiicola in wounded and unwounded conditions, respectively. Of the 27 plant species (13 plant families) assayed for fruit/head/bulb/tuber infection, 16 and 6 were susceptible to C. cassiicola in wounded and unwounded conditions, respectively. Among all plant species assayed, mango, tomato, and beans were considered very susceptible as infection occurred in both leaves and fruits and wounded and unwounded treatments. The related species, tomato and pepper, were also susceptible to diseases caused by C. cassiicola. This is the first report of the pathogenicity of the C. cassiicola Philippine strain to various plant species assessed in controlled conditions.