Vol. 12, Issue 7 (2023)

Author(s):
UH Bhimani and NM Gohel

Abstract:
A key ingredient in Ayurveda is an herb called Ashwagandha. It is a small shrub in the Solanaceae family. Ashwagandha is invaded by many plant pathogens. Alternaria leaf spot, caused by Alternaria alternata, emerges as a prominent disease. The pathological investigations of the Alternaria leaf spot were undertaken by focusing on dark brown to black lesions symptoms on leaves that exhibit concentric rings. Based on the examination of cultural and morphological characteristics, the pathogen’s identification was confirmed. The microscopic observation revealed that conidia were dark brown, rounded at the base and had a beak that was short and thick. Molecular identification of the fungal isolate was accomplished by conducting PCR amplification of the ITS region, followed by sequencing. The ITS rDNA sequence indicates that the pathogenic Alternaria alternata is responsible for the development of Alternaria leaf spot in Ashwagandha.