Web Blotch of Peanut in Virginia. P. M. Phipps, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology, Tidewater Agricultural Research Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Suffolk 23437. Plant Dis. 69:1097-1099. Accepted for publication 24 June 1985. Copyright 1985 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-69-1097.

Web blotch of peanut was first observed in Virginia during the fall of 1979. The disease was not detected in field surveys in 1980, but a few localized outbreaks were observed in fields annually between 1981 and 1984. Phoma arachidicola was isolated from leaf lesions. Conidia, microsclerotia, and crop residues from infested fields were effective inocula to reproduce the disease in greenhouse tests. Spanish-type cultivars (Argentine and Chico) were highly susceptible to infection and subsequent defoliation. The reactions of Virginia-type cultivars ranged from resistant (NC 3033) to highly susceptible (NC 17). Evidence that web blotch of peanut may have been introduced into Virginia with the passage of Hurricane David in 1979 is presented.

Keyword(s): epidemiology.