First report of Erysiphe verniciferae causing powdery mildew on smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria) from Pakistan

Abstract

Plants of Cotinus coggygria were observed with powdery mildew symptoms during field surveys in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan in 2020. Morpho-anatomical and molecular phylogenetic analyses were used to identify the powdery mildew species parasitizing these plants as Erysiphe verniciferae. Pathogenicity was confirmed on healthy leaves of C. coggygria in a greenhouse at 25°C with 75–80% humidity at 7–10 days after inoculation, when white powdery mildew colonies appeared. This is the first report of powdery mildew caused by E. verniciferae on C. coggygria in Pakistan.