An Undescribed Fungus Associated with a Root and Crown Rot of Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

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Abstract
MYCOLEPTODISCUS (=Leptodiscus Gerdemann preocc.) is proposed as a new, emended genus to include M. terrestris (Gerdemann) comb. nov., and M. sphaericus. The new species, isolated from host root samples collected from Maryland and Virginia, is characterized by the production of small, black, spherical sclerotia within colonized roots. Conidia are 2-celled, have a tube-like prolongation of the apical cell, often terminating in a bulbous swelling. Identification of 3 similar fungi (M. terrestris, M. sphaericus, and Macrophomina phaseoli) involved in the birdsfoot trefoil root and crown rot is discussed.