Leaf Spot Of Perennial Ryegrass Research Articles

First Report of Pyricularia oryzae Causing Gray Leaf Spot of Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) in Oregon

Gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne), caused by Pyricularia oryzae, is a devastating turfgrass disease in many regions of the United States. In 2021, P. oryzae was detected for the first time in Oregon, causing disease on a perennial ryegrass athletic field. This report describes the occurrence of gray leaf spot and pathogenicity testing on the original infected cultivar mixture. The confirmation of this pathogen in Oregon could have management implications for turfgrass managers of the state.

An arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and Epichloë festucae var. lolii reduce Bipolaris sorokiniana disease incidence and improve perennial ryegrass growth

Leaf spot of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana is an important disease in temperate regions of the world. We designed this experiment to test for the combined effects of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Claroideoglomus etunicatum and the grass endophyte fungus Epichloë festucae var. lolii on growth and disease occurrence in perennial ryegrass. The results show that C. etunicatum increased plant P uptake and total dry weight and that this beneficial effect was slightly enhanced when in association with the grass endophyte. The presence in plants of both the endophyte and B. sorokiniana decreased AM fungal colonization. Plants inoculated with B. sorokiniana showed the typical leaf spot symptoms 2weeks after inoculation and the lowest disease incidence was with plants that were host to both C. etunicatum and E. festucae var. lolii. Plants with these two fungi had much higher activity of peroxidases (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and lower values of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The AM fungus C. etunicatum and the grass endophyte fungus E. festucae var. lolii have the potential to promote perennial ryegrass growth and resistance to B. sorokiniana leaf spot.

Silicon-Induced Systemic Defense Responses in Perennial Ryegrass Against Infection by Magnaporthe oryzae.

Sustainable integrated disease management for gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass may involve use of plant defense elicitors with compatible traditional fungicides to reduce disease incidence and severity. Silicon (Si) has previously been identified as a potential inducer or modulator of plant defenses against different fungal pathogens. To this end, perennial ryegrass was inoculated with the causal agent of gray leaf spot, Magnaporthe oryzae, when grown in soil that was nonamended or amended with three different levels of calcium silicate (1, 5, or 10 metric tons [t]/ha). When applied at a rate of 5 t/ha, calcium silicate was found to significantly suppress gray leaf spot in perennial ryegrass, including a significant reduction of disease incidence (39.5%) and disease severity (47.3%). Additional studies observed nonpenetrated papillae or cell-wall appositions harboring callose, phenolic autofluorogens, and lignin-associated polyphenolic compounds in grass grown in the Si-amended soil. Regarding defense-associated enzyme levels, only following infection did grass grown in Si-amended soil exhibit greater activities of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase than equivalent inoculated control plants. Also following infection with M. oryzae, grass levels of several phenolic acids, including chlorogenic acid and flavonoids, and relative expression levels of genes encoding phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PALa and PALb) and lipoxygenase (LOXa) significantly increased in Si-amended plants compared with that of nonamended control plants. These results suggest that Si-mediated increase of host defense responses to fungal pathogens in perennial ryegrass has a great potential to be part of an effective integrated disease management strategy against gray leaf spot development.

Genetic analysis of host–pathogen incompatibility between Lolium isolates of Pyricularia oryzae and wheat

Lolium isolate TP2 of Pyricularia oryzae, causal agent of gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), is virulent on perennial ryegrass, but avirulent on wheat cultivars. Genetic analysis of wheat F2 populations revealed that the resistance of wheat cultivars Chinese Spring, Shin-chunaga, and Norin 4 to TP2 was conditioned by two genes, R1 and R2. R1 was highly effective, while R2 was less effective. The strong resistance gene R1, designated Rmg6, was mapped on chromosome 1D using microsatellite markers. For revealing genetic mechanisms of avirulence, TP2 was crossed with Triticum isolate Br48. Segregation analysis of their F1 progenies revealed that the avirulence of TP2 on the three wheat cultivars was conditioned by two unlinked genes, one (A1) highly effective and the other (A2) less effective. These results suggest that the incompatibility between TP2 and the common wheat cultivars is conditioned by two gene pairs; the Rmg6–A1 interaction results in strong resistance, and the R2–A2 interaction results in moderate resistance.

Soil silicon amendment for managing gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass turf on golf courses in Pennsylvania

Gray leaf spot (Magnaporthe oryzae) of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is commonly managed by fungicide applications. With increasing public concerns over chemical usage and emergence of fungicide-resistant pathogen populations, the golf course industry seeks disease management through integrated management practices. Silicon (Si) amendments have been proven effective in controlling fungal diseases of various crops including turfgrasses. This study investigated the effects of Si applications on gray leaf spot development on perennial ryegrass turf on commercial golf courses. Silicon sources wollastonite and calcium silicate slag were applied at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10 t/ha at two golf courses in Pennsylvania with different soil types: an Ultisol and an Alfisol. The turf was inoculated with M. oryzae 10 weeks after silicon application, and disease development was monitored over a 10 week period. Results showed that area under the disease progress curve and final disease severity 10 weeks after inoculation were significantly reduced by Si applications at both sites. The magnitude of disease reduction was greater in the perennial ryegrass turf grown on the Ultisol. Tissue Si content increased with increasing rates of calcium silicate at both sites. Leaf tissue content of other macro- and micro-nutrients did not change when Si was applied at either site. Soil analysis showed that soil Si and pH increased with increasing rates of Si at both sites. These findings suggest that Si applications can reduce gray leaf spot development on perennial ryegrass turf on golf courses and may prove to be of use in the integrated management of turfgrass diseases. Key words: Magnaporthe oryzae, gray leaf spot, perennial ryegrass, wollastonite, calcium silicate slag, silicon. La tache grise (Magnaporthe orizae) de l’ivraie est habituellement maîtrisée par des applications de fongicide. Compte tenu des préoccupations du public en ce qui a trait à l’utilisation des pesticides de synthèse et à l’émergence de populations d’agents pathogènes résistants aux fongicides, l’industrie des terrains de golf cherche des solutions de gestion des maladies en faisant appel aux méthodes de lutte intégrée. Les amendements à base de silicium (Si) se sont montrés efficaces quant à la lutte contre les maladies fongiques s’attaquant à diverses cultures, incluant les gazons. Cette étude a examiné les effets d’applications de silicium sur le développement de la tache grise sur l’ivraie vivace sur sept terrains de golf commerciaux. De la wollastonite et des scories de silicate de calcium, sources de silicium, ont été appliquées à raison de 0,5, 1, 2, 5 et 10 t/ha sur deux terrains de golf de Pennsylvanie aux sols différents : un ultisol et un alfisol. Le gazon a été inoculé avec M. orizae 10 jours après l’application de silicium et l’évolution de la maladie a été suivie durant 10 semaines. Les résultats ont montré que, 10 semaines après l’inoculation, l’aire sous la courbe de maladie (AUDPC) ainsi que la gravité finale de la maladie avaient été réduites de façon significative par les applications de silicium, et ce, aux deux sites. La teneur des tissus foliaires quant aux autres macro- et micronutriments n’a varié sur aucun des deux sites traités. Les analyses du sol ont indiqué, aux deux sites, que la teneur en silicium et le pH des sols augmentaient en fonction des taux d’application du silicium. Ces constatations suggèrent que les applications de silicium peuvent entraver le développement de la tache grise chez l’ivraie vivace sur les terrains de golf et peut s’avérer utile dans la gestion intégrée des maladies des gazons. Mots-clés : Magnaporthe orizae, tache grise, ivraie vivace, wollastonite, scories de silicate de calcium, silicium.

Effects of Soil Type, Source of Silicon, and Rate of Silicon Source on Development of Gray Leaf Spot of Perennial Ryegrass Turf.

Silicon amendments have been proven effective in controlling fungal diseases of various crops. However, effects of silicon amendments on gray leaf spot (Magnaporthe oryzae) of perennial ryegrass are not known. Studies were conducted in controlled-environment chambers and microplots where perennial ryegrass pots were buried among perennial ryegrass turf to determine the effects of silicon amendments on gray leaf spot development. Plants were grown in two soil types: peat:sand mix (soil Si = 5.2 mg/liter) and Hagerstown silt loam (soil Si = 70 mg/liter). Both soil types were amended with two sources of silicon-wollastonite and calcium silicate slag-at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10 metric tons/ha and 0, 0.6, 1.2, 2.4, 6, and 12 metric tons/ha, respectively. Nine-week-old perennial ryegrass was inoculated with M. oryzae. Gray leaf spot incidence and severity were assessed 2 weeks after inoculation. Gray leaf spot incidence and severity of perennial ryegrass significantly decreased by different rates of wollastonite and calcium silicate slag applied to both soils under both experimental conditions. Tissue silicon content increased consistently with increasing amount of silicon in the soils, while disease incidence decreased consistently with increasing tissue silicon content in all four soil and source combinations under both experimental conditions. These findings suggest that silicon amendments may be utilized in integrated gray leaf spot management programs on perennial ryegrass.

Magnaporthe oryzae isolates causing gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass possess a functional copy of the AVR1‐CO39 avirulence gene

SUMMARY Gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is a severe foliar disease caused by the ascomycete fungus Magnaporthe oryzae (formerly known as Magnaporthe grisea). Control of gray leaf spot is completely dependent on the use of fungicides because currently available perennial ryegrass cultivars lack genetic resistance to this disease. M. oryzae isolates from perennial ryegrass (prg) were unable to cause disease on rice cultivars CO39 and 51583, and instead triggered a hypersensitive response. Southern hybridization analysis of DNA from over 50 gray leaf spot isolates revealed that all of them contain sequences corresponding to AVR1-CO39, a host specificity gene that confers avirulence to rice cultivar CO39, which carries the corresponding resistance gene Pi-CO39(t). There was also an almost complete lack of restriction site polymorphism at the avirulence locus. Cloning and sequencing of the AVR1-CO39 gene (AVR1-CO39(Lp)) from 16 different gray leaf spot isolates revealed just two point mutations, both of which were located upstream of the predicted open reading frame. When an AVR1-CO39(Lp) gene copy was transferred into ML33, a rice pathogenic isolate that is highly virulent to rice cultivar CO39, the transformants were unable to cause disease on CO39 but retained their virulence to 51583, a rice cultivar that lacks Pi-CO39(t). These data demonstrate that the AVR1-CO39 gene in the gray leaf spot pathogens is functional, and suggest that interaction of AVR1-CO39(Lp) and Pi-CO39(t) is responsible, at least in part, for the host specificity expressed on CO39. This indicates that it may be possible to use the Pi-CO39(t) resistance gene as part of a transgenic strategy to complement the current deficiency of gray leaf spot resistance in prg. Furthermore, our data indicate that, if Pi-CO39(t) can function in prg, the resistance provided should be broadly effective against a large proportion of the gray leaf spot pathogen population.

Detection of Pyricularia grisea Causing Gray Leaf Spot of Perennial Ryegrass Turf by a Rapid Immuno-Recognition Assay.

An immuno-recognition assay using a monoclonal antibody was developed to detect Pyricularia grisea, the causal agent of gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). In vitro assays with isolates of P. grisea from perennial ryegrass, tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis), finger millet (Eleusine coracana), wheat (Triticum aestivum), triticale (× Triticosecale rimpaui), and rice (Oryza sativa) showed positive reactions; however, the strength of the reactions differed among isolates. Reactions were more intense with isolates from perennial ryegrass, wheat, and triticale. All P. grisea isolates from perennial ryegrass collected from various regions of the United States showed positive reactions. P. grisea was detected at antigen dilution rates of 0.5×, 0.25×, 0.13×, 0.06×, and 0.03×. Dot-blot assays with Bipolaris sorokiniana, Colletotrichum graminicola, Curvularia lunata, Microdochium nivale, Pythium aphanidermatum, Rhizoctonia solani, or Sclerotinia homoeocarpa isolated from turfgrasses were negative. In vivo assays of symptomatic leaves of perennial ryegrass plants inoculated with P. grisea also showed positive reactions, and those inoculated with B. sorokiniana, P. aphanidermatum, R. solani, or S. homoeocarpa were negative. Intensity of reaction between the monoclonal antibody and P. grisea was proportional to disease severity in perennial ryegrass inoculated with P. grisea; however, there was no reaction in dot blots of leaf tissue collected during the latent period. P. grisea was detected in perennial ryegrass samples from golf course fairways affected by gray leaf spot in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island using this procedure. The monoclonal antibody recognition system is highly sensitive to P. grisea and can be used effectively for the rapid diagnosis of gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass turf.

Suppression of gray leaf spot (blast) of perennial ryegrass turf by Pseudomonas aeruginosa from spent mushroom substrate

Abstract Bacteria isolated from spent mushroom substrate (SMS) were evaluated for the suppression of Pyricularia grisea, the causal agent of gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) turf. Thirty-two of 849 bacterial isolates (3.8%) from SMS significantly inhibited the mycelial growth of P. grisea in vitro. Six bacterial isolates that afforded maximum inhibition of P. grisea were also refractory to Rhizoctonia solani, Rhizoctonia cerealis, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, and Fusarium culmorum. Each of the six isolates was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa by fatty acid profile analysis. The biocontrol activity of the bacterial isolates was not compromised by a prolonged exposure to UV radiation in vitro. In controlled-environment chamber experiments, all 32 bacterial isolates were tested for suppression of gray leaf spot on Pennfine perennial ryegrass when applied as seed treatment or foliar sprays. Foliar applications of the bacteria (108 cfu/ml 0.1% carboxymethylcellulose), but not the seed treatment, significantly reduced disease severity and incidence. The three most efficient isolates from foliar application treatments, which were among the six bacterial isolates identified as P. aeruginosa, were further evaluated for suppression of gray leaf spot as a function of timing of application. The three isolates of P. aeruginosa suppressed gray leaf spot in perennial ryegrass in Cone-tainers when applied at 1, 3, and 7 days prior to inoculation with P. grisea both in controlled-environment chamber experiments, and in potted ryegrass plants maintained in the field. All application intervals, regardless of the bacterial isolate, provided significant reduction of gray leaf spot severity. Suppression of gray leaf spot by isolates of P. aeruginosa under controlled-environment chamber conditions was not different from that observed in potted ryegrass plants maintained in the field. In field experiments, an isolate of P. aeruginosa provided significant suppression of gray leaf spot when applied at 1, 7, and 14 days prior to inoculation with P. grisea. The bacterium proved effective against gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass maintained as fairway and rough heights. These results indicate that P. aeruginosa may be a potential biocontrol agent for gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass turf.

Distribution of Mating Type Alleles and Fertility Status of Magnaporthe grisea Causing Gray Leaf Spot of Perennial Ryegrass and St. Augustinegrass Turf.

Isolates of Magnaporthe grisea causing gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass (PR) (Lolium perenne) and St. Augustinegrass (SA) (Stenotaphrum secundatum) were analyzed for mating compatibility and fertility. A total of 312 isolates of M. grisea from PR and 62 isolates from SA were paired with hermaphroditic tester strains from finger millet (Eleusine coracana), rice (Oryza sativa), and wheat (Triticum aestivum). All the PR isolates belonged to a single mating type, MAT1-2. Male fertility was observed in all these isolates. Asci and ascospores were not produced regardless of their developmental stage. Of the 139 (44.6%) isolates from PR that formed perithecia with the fertile tester strains, 83 (59.7%) were highly fertile, 33 (23.7%) were intermediately fertile, and 23 (16.5%) were low in fertility. Both mating types were observed among the isolates of SA, where MAT1-1 predominated the MAT1-2 type. An equal number of male and female fertile isolates were detected among these isolates obtained from a single location; however, none of the isolates behaved as hermaphrodites. Few ascospores were produced in crosses between two isolates of SA and a finger millet tester. Of the 62 monoconidial isolates of SA tested, 19 (30.6%) isolates formed perithecia, of which 5 (26.3%) were highly fertile, 7 (36.8%) were intermediately fertile, 7 (36.8%) were low in fertility, and 43 (69.4%) were infertile. The results of this study indicate that the sexual stage may not be a significant factor contributing to the genetic variation the gray leaf spot pathogen population.

Pyricularia grisea Isolates Causing Gray Leaf Spot on Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) in the United States: Relationship to P. grisea Isolates from Other Host Plants

ABSTRACT Gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass (prg) (Lolium perenne), caused by the fungus Pyricularia grisea (teleomorph = Magnaporthe grisea), has rapidly become the most destructive of all turf grass diseases in the United States. Fungal isolates from infected prg were analyzed with several molecular markers to investigate their relationship to P. grisea strains found on other hosts. All of the molecular markers used in this study revealed that isolates from prg are very distantly related to those found on crabgrass. Fingerprinting with MGR586 (Pot3) revealed zero to three copies of this transposon in the prg pathogens, distinguishing them from isolates pathogenic to rice, which typically have more than 50 copies of this element. RETRO5, a newly identified retroelement in P. grisea, was present at a copy number of >50 in isolates from rice and Setaria spp. but only six to eight copies were found in the isolates from prg. The MAGGY retrotransposon was unevenly distributed in the prg pathogens, with some isolates lacking this element, some possessing six to eight copies, and others having 10 to 30 copies. These results indicated that the P. grisea isolates causing gray leaf spot are distinct from those found on crabgrass, rice, or Setaria spp. This conclusion was supported by an unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic average cluster analysis of single-copy restriction fragment length polymorphism haplo-types. Fingerprints obtained with probes from the Pot2 and MGR583 transposons revealed that the prg pathogens are very closely related to isolates from tall fescue, and that they share similarity with isolates from wheat. However, the wheat pathogens had fewer copies of these elements than those found on prg. Therefore, I conclude that P. grisea isolates commonly found on other host plant species did not cause gray leaf spot epidemics on prg. Instead, the disease appears to be caused by a P. grisea population that is specific to prg and tall fescue.

Resistance to QoI (Strobilurin-like) Fungicides in Isolates of Pyricularia grisea from Perennial Ryegrass.

In August 2000, azoxystrobin was ineffective in controlling gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass at a golf course in Lexington, KY and at two golf courses in Illinois. Isolates suspected of being fungicide-resistant ("suspect isolates") were compared to "baseline" isolates obtained from sites with no known use of quinol-oxidizing inhibitor (QoI) fungicides. Conidial germination of Pyricularia grisea was tested in vitro with 100 μg of salicylhydroxamic acid per ml. For baseline isolates, 50% effective concentration (EC50) values for azoxystrobin and trifloxystrobin were 0.015 to 0.064 and 0.013 to 0.078 μg/ml, respectively; EC50 values for suspect isolates were 2.39 to 44.8 and 0.31 to 111, respectively. All suspect isolates exhibited significantly (P = 0.05) lower sensitivity to QoI fungicides than all baseline isolates. The mean EC50 values for suspect isolates for azoxystrobin and trifloxystrobin were 690 and 827 times higher, respectively, than the means for baseline isolates. In the laboratory, azoxystrobin and trifloxystrobin provided essentially complete control of disease induced by nine baseline isolates in vivo. Azoxystrobin and trifloxystrobin provided poor to no control of disease induced by six of eight suspect isolates; control of disease induced by the remaining two isolates was partial for azoxystrobin and complete for trifloxystrobin. We conclude that one or more biotypes of perennial ryegrass-infecting strains of P. grisea with resistance to QoI fungicides have emerged. This is the first report of resistance to QoI fungicides in P. grisea. Furthermore, this is one of two QoIresistant fungal pathogens collected in the United States during the 2000 growing season, the first instances reported for North America.

First Report of Gray Leaf Spot on Perennial Ryegrass Turf in California.

Gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) turf was first reported in the United States in 1991. The disease epidemic was primarily confined to golf course fairways in southeastern Pennsylvania (1). Subsequently, moderate to severe outbreaks of gray leaf spot occurred in perennial ryegrass fairways and roughs in numerous locations throughout the eastern and midwestern United States. In August 2001, a serious decline of perennial ryegrass turf was observed in a bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers) baseball field in Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA, that had been overseeded with perennial ryegrass. The bermudagrass turf was not affected. The perennial ryegrass turf developed necrotic lesions that resulted in blighting of leaf blades. In laboratory assays, Pyricularia grisea (Cooke) Sacc., was consistently isolated from symptomatic ryegrass blades from turf samples collected from the site. Of the 12 P. grisea isolates collected from the assayed leaf blades, five isolates were selected for a pathogenicity assay. Twenty-five 'Legacy II' perennial ryegrass plants were grown from seeds in 4 × 4 in.-plastic pots, (10 × 10 cm) which were filled to 1 cm below the rim with granular calcine clay medium (Turface MVP, Allied Industrial Material Corp., Buffalo Grove, IL). Three weeks after seeding, plants were fertilized with a water-soluble 20-20-20 N-P-K fertilizer (1.3 g/liter of water) once per week. Treatments (isolates of P. grisea and a control) were arranged as a randomized complete block design with five replications. Five-week-old plants were sprayed with an aqueous suspension of P. grisea conidia (≈5 × 104 conidia per ml of sterilized distilled water with 0.1% Tween 20) using an atomizer until the leaves were completely wet. Plants sprayed with sterilized distilled water served as the control. After inoculation, individual pots were covered with clear polyethylene bags and placed in a controlled environment chamber maintained at 28°C and continuous fluorescent light (88 μE m-2 s-1). Four days after inoculation, necrotic lesions (<2 mm diameter) developed on ryegrass blades inoculated with each isolate of P. grisea. Lesions did not develop on leaves of control plants. Seven days after inoculation, the polyethylene bags were removed, and 50 symptomatic blades from each pot were collected, and disease incidence (percent infected leaves) and severity (index 0 to 10; 0 = none, 10 = >90% of the leaf blade necrotic ) were assessed. P. grisea was isolated from symptomatic leaves of plants inoculated with the fungus. Disease incidence and severity on inoculated plants were 92 to 96% and 8.8 to 10, respectively. There were no significant differences in disease incidence and severity (P = 0.05) among the isolates of P. grisea included in the test. To our knowledge, this is the first report of gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass turf in California. Reference: (1) P. J. Landschoot and B. F. Hoyland. Plant Dis. 76:1280, 1992.

First Report of Gray Leaf Spot Caused by Pyricularia grisea on Lolium perenne in Illinois.

Each year from 1991 to 1999, a disease matching the description of gray leaf spot (1) was observed in the central and north central regions of Illinois. Disease severity was low (<10% blight) from 1991 to 1994 and 1999 and was severe (>50% blight in some areas) from 1995 to 1998. The disease was observed on Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass) golf course fairways and sports fields. Isolations of Pyricularia grisea were made from L. perenne collected from golf courses in Bloomington, Decatur, Kankakee, Pekin, Urbana, and Moline, IL. All isolates were collected from surface-sterilized, symptomatic leaves. Cultures were maintained on one-fifth strength potato-dextrose agar (PDA) and induced to sporulate on full-strength oatmeal agar. All isolates in culture displayed vegetative and conidial characteristics similar to those previously described for P. grisea (1). Twenty-five different L. perenne germ plasms were inoculated with isolate WF9826 (Kankakee) using a suspension of 1 × 105 conidia per milliliter. The 4-week-old lawns (100 plants per 3-cm-diameter cone-tainer) of each ryegrass germ plasm were inoculated by spraying foliage with the conidial suspension until runoff. Inoculated and uninoculated lawns were enclosed in plastic bags and placed in an incubator (16 h light; 28°C) for 7 days. Disease severity was rated using a scale of 0 to 10 (10 = 100% blight). Each treatment was replicated three times, and all experiments were repeated four times. Small blue-gray, water-soaked lesions with dark brown borders were observed on leaves of all inoculated ryegrass germ plasms. Advanced symptoms included blighting of much of the leaves. The mean disease severity rating was 3.8 (range 2 to 7) for all experimental units and all 25 germ plasms. P. grisea was isolated from leaves that were inoculated with WF9826. This is the first report of gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass caused by P. grisea in Illinois. Reference: (1) P. J. Landschoot et al. Plant Dis. 76:1280, 1992.