Phylogenetic Diversity and Host Specialization of Corynespora cassiicola Responsible for Emerging Target Spot Disease of Cotton and Other Crops in the Southeastern United States.

Corynespora cassiicola is a ubiquitous fungus causing emerging plant diseases worldwide, including target spot of cotton, soybean, and tomato, which have rapidly increased in incidence and severity throughout the southeastern United States. The objectives of this study were to understand the causes for the emerging target spot epidemics in the United States by comparing phylogenetic relationships of isolates from cotton, tomato, soybean, and other crop plants and ornamental hosts, and through the determination of the host range of isolates from emerging populations. Fifty-three isolates were sampled from plants in the southeastern United States and 1,380 nucleotides from four nuclear loci were sequenced. Additionally, sequences of the same loci from 23 isolates representing each of the distinct lineages of C. cassiicola described from previous studies were included. Isolates clustered based on host of origin, regardless of the geographic location of sampling. There was no genetic diversity detected among isolates from cotton, which were genetically distinct from isolates from other host species. Furthermore, pathogenicity and virulence assays of 40 isolates from various hosts onto cotton, soybean, tomato, and cucumber showed that isolates from cotton were more aggressive to cotton than those from other hosts. Soybean and tomato were most susceptible to isolates that originated from the same host, providing evidence of host specialization. These results suggest that emerging target spot epidemics in the United States are caused by either the introduction of host-specific isolates or the evolution of more aggressive strains on each host.