First Report of Charcoal Rot Caused by Macrophomina phaseolina on Peanut Plants in Korea

Peanut plants showing mild wilt were found in fields of Iksan, Korea, in August 2021. The diseased peanut plants were collected, and the causal pathogens were isolated using potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. The isolated IS-1 strain formed white mycelia on PDA, which turned black with age. Sclerotia were produced on the PDA and barley leaves laid on water agar 7 d after incubation at 30℃. The sequences of both the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and calmodulin gene of IS-1 showed a 100% similarity with that of Macrophomina phaseolina. A phylogenetic tree constructed using the ITS regions of fungal pathogens causing disease in peanut plants indicated that the IS-1 stain belongs to M. phaseolina. The inoculation of IS-1 sclerotia into peanut seedlings resulted in yellowing and wilt symptoms in aboveground plants and brown to dark rots in roots 35-40 d after inoculation. Overall, the morphological characteristics, molecular identification, and pathogenicity of IS-1 indicate that the causal pathogen is M. phaseolina. This is the first report of charcoal rot caused by M. phaseolina on peanut plants in Korea. Further study is needed to develop the control measures for charcoal rot in peanut plants.