Susceptibility of Corn to Isolates of Colletotrichum graminicola Pathogenic to Other Grasses

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Abstract
Anthracnose leaf blight of corn occurs in juvenile leaves and in leaves that are beginning to senesce. Isolates of Colletotrichum graminicola from sorghum, shattercane, johnsongrass, and barnyardgrass caused only chlorotic flecks on juvenile corn leaves. When inoculated onto senescing corn leaves, these fungi caused susceptible-type lesions that were indistinguishable from lesions caused by isolates of the fungus pathogenic to corn. The results indicate that these grasses represent an important reservoir of the fungus that may contribute to second-phase anthracnose leaf blight in corn.