P-168 - Foliar Diseases of Common Buckwheat observed in North Dakota

Common Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a pseudocereal and a minor crop with North Dakota leading production. Buckwheat is rich in nutrients, flavonoids, antioxidants and phenolic compounds which offer numerous health benefits. Knowledge about buckwheat diseases is very limited. A panel of diverse buckwheat germplasm was grown in 2021 and 2022 under field conditions in North Dakota for a plant breeding study. Typical leaf spot and blight symptoms were observed on some lines. Symptomatic leaf tissue was collected, photographed, and the tissue from the margins of diseased and healthy area was surface sterilized and plated onto acidified PDA media.  Plates were kept at room temperature with 16 h light and 8 h dark conditions. Pure cultures were obtained using hyphal tip transfer method. Morphological features of the cultures were documented, and conidial morphology was observed using a compound microscope. For molecular characterization, ITS region and Calmodulin gene sequences were amplified using reported PCR conditions and DNA sequences were searched for homology using NCBI BLAST. The causal pathogens belong to the genera Alternaria, Cercospora and Bipolaris. Four species of Alternaria, i.e., A. alternata, A. brassicae, A. tenuissima, and A. longipes were recovered. Leaf spot pathogens Bipolaris sorokiniana and Cercospora cf. flagellaris were also identified. Interestingly C. flagellaris was found only in 2021. Powdery mildew was observed on few lines in 2021. The knowledge of susceptibility of lines to various leaf disease is important for future breeding programs.