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Phoma medicaginis var. medicaginis (lucerne black stem )
Phoma medicaginis var. medicaginis
lucerne black stem
Ascocyta imperfecta, Diplodina medicaginis, Phoma herbarum var. medicaginis, Ascochyta medicaginicola var. medicaginicola
Europe: Italy; North America: USA
CA
2025-11-17
fungus
-
alfalfa, pea
PHOMME
Phoma medicaginis var. medicaginis causes spring black stem and leaf spot on alfalfa, producing dark lesions on stems and leaves. It primarily survives on crop residues, and spores are spread by rain splash or water; seed transmission is possible. The disease is most severe under cool, wet conditions and can reduce forage yield and quality.
Crops
Medicago sativa
alfalfa
Yes
PHOMME-2, PHOMME-3, PHOMME-4, PHOMME-5, PHOMME-6, CABI CPC, PHOMME-7, PHOMME-8, PHOMME-9
Phoma medicaginis var. medicaginis can be present on alfalfa seed, particularly on the seed coat, and has been isolated from naturally infected seeds. While seed transmission is possible, it is not the primary pathway; the fungus mainly survives on crop residues and soil. Infection can reduce seed viability and seedling emergence, and the pathogen also causes spring black stem, leaf spot, and crown root rot in alfalfa.
Yes
Agar plating
Method used experimentally only and has not been standardized or verified for clinical use.
PHOMME-4, PHOMME-5
Biological, Chemical, and Cultural
Resistant varieties, weed control and burning eliminate overwintering on plant tops. Some chemical controls are effective.
PHOMME-5, PHOMME-7
2025-11-17 15:31:45
PHOMME-2
Neergaard, P. 1977. Seed Pathology Volume 1. McMillian Press, London, UK 839pp
PHOMME-3
Boerema, GH, et.al. 2004. Phoma Identification Manual. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK pp470
PHOMME-4
Mead and McCormack, 1961. Studies on Ascocyta imperfecta Peck. Parasitic strains among fifty isolates from Canadian alfalfa seed. Can J. Bot. 39:793-797
PHOMME-5
Kernkamp and Hendricks. 1953. The relationship of Ascocyta imperfecta to alfalfa seed production in Minnesota. Phytopathology 43:378-383
PHOMME-6
Farr, DF and Rossman AY 2015. Fungal Databases, Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA. http://nt.ars-grin.gov/fungaldatabases/
CABI CPC
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
PHOMME-7
Barbetti, M.J., 2007. Resistance in annual Medicago spp. to Phoma medicaginis and Leptosphaerulina trifolii and its relationship to induced production of a phytoestrogen. Plant Disease, 91(3), pp.239-244.
PHOMME-8
Lan, Y., Zhou, W., Duan, T., Li, Y., Matthew, C. and Nan, Z., 2024. Alfalfa Spring Black Stem and Leaf Spot Disease Caused by Phoma medicaginis: Epidemic Occurrence and Impacts. Microorganisms, 12(7), p.1279.
PHOMME-9
Chen, X., Ren, T., Mei, D., Wei, X., Guo, Y., Li, Y., ... & Song, Q. (2025). Infection of various Medicago sativa varieties by Ascochyta medicaginicola triggers the synthesis of defensive secondary metabolites and their antifungal mechanisms. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 73(11), 6711-6723.
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