Incidence and morphological characterization of Cladosporium herbarum on common bean cv. ‘Pérola’

Abstract

Cladosporium spp. has been associated to the common bean seeds during storage, causing losses in the vigor and germination. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence and perform micromorphological characterization of Cladosporium herbarum found on seeds of common bean cv. ‘Pérola’ in Ipameri, Goiás State, Brazil. Common bean seeds were obtained from plantations located at experimental areas of the Universidade Estadual de Goiás (UEG), Ipameri, were submitted to health analysis by the blotter test method and, later examined under a stereomicroscope aiming to prepare semi-permanent slides mounting by removing fungal mycelia and structures found on the infected plant tissue. After microscopic analysis of the cultural characteristics and measurement of the conidia, it was verified that they measured (length × width) of 7.2–10.4 × 3.6–4.2 μm (8.1 × 4 μm). These characteristics indicated that the fungus is C. herbarum, which occurred with an incidence of 59.5% on naturally contaminated seeds. Preparations on lactic acid, containing the structures and fungal spores were deposited in the slide collection of plant pathogens of the UEG. The common bean ‘Pérola’ provide high incidence of C. herbarum on the seeds.