Choanephora flower rot caused by Choanephora cucurbitarum on Abelmoschus manihot

Abstract

In August 2013, blossom blight and wet rot were observed on flowers of Abelmoschus manihot in a private garden in Hongcheon County, Korea. The fungus initially infected fading flower petals, then expanded to encompass entire flowers and finally resulted in flower desiccation and fall. The causal fungus was identified by morphological characterization and molecular analysis as Choanephora cucurbitarum. Pathogenicity tests were conducted twice with similar results. To our knowledge, this is the first report, globally, of C. cucurbitarum on A. manihot.