Cochliobolus spicifer
spring dead spot of grasses
Bipolaris spicifera, Brachycladium spiciferum, Curvularia spicifera, Drechslera spicifera, Drechslera tetramera, Helminthosporium spiciferum
Africa: Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Sudan; Asia: Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey; Europe: Greece, Hungary, Italy; North America: USA; South America: Argentina.
MS, NE, TN
2025-12-16
fungus
Korea
Main: Bermuda grass, wheat, zoysia; Other: tomato, eggplant
COCHSI
Curvularia spicifera (heterotypic synonym Cochliobolus spicifer) is a darkly pigmented fungus commonly found in soil and plant debris, associated with leaf spots, blights, and seedling diseases of grasses and cereals. It survives in crop residues and spreads mainly by airborne spores and splashing rain, while seed transmission has been reported in some hosts but remains limited and host-dependent.
Crops
Avena sativa
oat
No
COCHSI-3, COCHSI-4, COCHSI-13
Cochliobolus spicifer occurs on oats, where it is associated with leaf spots and seedling diseases. The fungus survives in soil and crop residues and spreads mainly by airborne spores and splashing rain. One report from 1949 inferred possible seed transmission, but this has not been substantiated by subsequent studies.
2025-12-16 11:39:46
Richardson MJ, 1990. An Annotated List of Seed-borne Disease. International Seed Testing Association, Zurich, Switzerland
Zillinsky FJ, 1983. Common Diseases of Small Grain Cereals: A Guide to Identification. CIMMYT; International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico City, Mexico.
Samira Serghat, Karima Mradmi, Touhami, A. O., Allal Douira, 2005. Rice leaf pathogenic fungi on wheat, oat, Echinochloa phyllopogon and Phragmites australis.Phytopathologia Mediterranea, 44(1) 44-49.
Hordeum vulgare
barley
No
COCHSI-3, COCHSI-6, CABI CPC, COCHSI-10
Cochliobolus spicifer has been reported from barley seed samples only under laboratory conditions (formerly cited as Drechslera tetramers). No additional references were found, barley is not listed as a host in Richardson (1990), and the pathogen is not considered important in grain production.
Yes
Blotter or Freezing blotter
These methods have not been standardized or validated.
COCHSI-6
2025-12-16 11:49:41
Richardson MJ, 1990. An Annotated List of Seed-borne Disease. International Seed Testing Association, Zurich, Switzerland
Fakhrunnisa M.H., Hashimi AND Ghaffar A., 2006. Seed-borne Mycoflora of Wheat, Sorghum and Barley. Pak. J. Bot., 38(1): 185-192
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
Qostal, S., Kribel, S., Chliyeh, M., Serghat, S., Selmaoui, K., Touhami, A. O., ... & Douira, A. (2019). Study of the fungal complex responsible for root rot of wheat and barley in the north-west of Morocco. Plant Archives (09725210), 19(2).
Secale cereale
rye
No
COCHSI-3, COCHSI-4, CABI CPC
Cochliobolus spicifer has limited association with rye seed. Richardson (1990) cites a single reference reporting its detection on seed, but not necessarily transmission. No additional studies were found to corroborate this, and the pathogen is not considered important in grain production.
2025-12-16 11:52:09
Richardson MJ, 1990. An Annotated List of Seed-borne Disease. International Seed Testing Association, Zurich, Switzerland
Zillinsky FJ, 1983. Common Diseases of Small Grain Cereals: A Guide to Identification. CIMMYT; International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico City, Mexico.
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
Sorghum bicolor
sorghum
Yes
COCHSI-5, COCHSI-6, COCHSI-14
Cochliobolus spicifer is seed-transmitted in sorghum and is recovered from sorghum seed more frequently than from other grains. Despite confirmed transmission, the pathogen is not considered important in sorghum production, is readily controlled with standard seed treatments, and its worldwide presence on seed appears to have little or no impact on disease development.
Yes
Blotter or Freezing blotter
Though reference above refers to ISTA Seed Health Testing, no specific testing on sorghum seed was found. Methods primarily used on grass seed.
COCHSI-8
Chemical
Yes, thiram or mancozeb eradicates fungus on seed
COCHSI-5
2025-12-16 11:55:55
Saravanan T; Karuppiah R, 2005. Effects of fungicides, biocontrol agents and plant extracts on sorghum seed infection. Journal of Ecobiology, 17:461-465.
Fakhrunnisa M.H., Hashimi AND Ghaffar A., 2006. Seed-borne Mycoflora of Wheat, Sorghum and Barley. Pak. J. Bot., 38(1): 185-192
Girish, G. A., Baig, M. M. V., Anitha, K., & Chakrabarty, S. K. (2011). Curvularia species detected in sorghum seeds collected from Marathwada region of Maharashtra. Indian Journal of Plant Protection, 39(4), 299-303.
Banerjee N; Pandey AK; Jamaluddin, 2011. First report of the Drechslera state of Cochliobolus spicifer infecting seeds of Parthenium hysterophorus in India. New Disease Reports, 24:Article 7. http://www.ndrs.org.uk
Triticum aestivum
wheat
No
COCHSI-3, COCHSI-4, COCHSI-6, COCHSI-9, COCHSI-10, COCHSI-11, COCHSI-12, COCHSI-13
Cochliobolus spicifer has been reported from wheat seed samples only under laboratory conditions (formerly cited as Drechslera tetramers). No additional references were found, wheat is not listed as a host in Richardson (1990), and the pathogen is not considered important in grain production.
Yes
Blotter or Freezing blotter
Methods have not been verified and were used in research only.
COCHSI-6
2025-12-16 12:02:40
Richardson MJ, 1990. An Annotated List of Seed-borne Disease. International Seed Testing Association, Zurich, Switzerland
Zillinsky FJ, 1983. Common Diseases of Small Grain Cereals: A Guide to Identification. CIMMYT; International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico City, Mexico.
Fakhrunnisa M.H., Hashimi AND Ghaffar A., 2006. Seed-borne Mycoflora of Wheat, Sorghum and Barley. Pak. J. Bot., 38(1): 185-192
Koo, H. M., Lee, S. H., Jung, I. M., & Chun, S. C. (2003). A seedborne fungus Bipolaris spicifera detected from imported grass seeds. Plant Pathology Journal, 19(3), 133-137.
Qostal, S., Kribel, S., Chliyeh, M., Serghat, S., Selmaoui, K., Touhami, A. O., ... & Douira, A. (2019). Study of the fungal complex responsible for root rot of wheat and barley in the north-west of Morocco. Plant Archives (09725210), 19(2).
Talevi S, Pucci N, Nardi S, Giambattista Gdi, Porta-Puglia A, 2004. Analysis of the mycoflora on wheat kernels imported from USA. (Micoflora presente su cariossidi di grano duro importato dagli Stati Uniti.) Informatore Fitopatologico, 54(10):41-45.
Qostal, S., Kribel, S., Chliyeh, M., Selmaoui, K., Touhami, A. O., Serghat, S., & Douira, A. (2019). Curvularia spicifera, a parasite of the fungal complex of root rot of wheat and barley in Morocco. Plant cell biotechnology and molecular biology, 20(9-10), 354-365.
Samira Serghat, Karima Mradmi, Touhami, A. O., Allal Douira, 2005. Rice leaf pathogenic fungi on wheat, oat, Echinochloa phyllopogon and Phragmites australis.Phytopathologia Mediterranea, 44(1) 44-49.
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