Wedelia trilobata (L Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 14(1): 67-69, 2007 (June) - Short communication CURVULARIA HARVEYI SHIPTON : A NEW HYPHOMYCETES RECORD FOR BANGLADESH SHAMIM SHAMSI1 AND ARJU YASMIN2 Department of Botany, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh Key words: Curvularia harveyi, Maize, Bangladesh Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the three most popular cereal crops of the world. It occupies an important position in the world economy and is traded as a food, feed and industrial grain crop. But disease is the most important obstacle for maize production. Every year various kinds of diseases cause yield loss of maize. In Bangladesh, so far 28 different diseases of maize have been reported and most of these are caused by fungi. Twenty species of fungi were recorded on maize in Bangladesh (BARI 2004, Yasmin 2007). However, very little work has been done regarding the etiology of the disease and identification of the pathogens. Recently, a study was undertaken to find out the association of fungi with maize plant grown in Bangladesh (Yasmin 2007). During the isolation of fungi from the infected leaf of maize, a hyphomycetes fungus Curvularia harveyi Shipton was found associated with the sample examined which is a new record for Bangladesh. The isolated fungus was identified following Ellis (1971). So far it was recorded on Triticum from Australia. Curvularia species mainly cause small necrotic or chlorotic spots on the leaf of maize plant. These are the causal agents of leaf spots, leaf blight, kernel rot, root rot, seedling blights, grain lesions and deformation (Ellis 1971). Before the present communication, 12 species of Curvularia with one variety have been reported from Bangladesh by various workers: C. affinis, C. geniculata, C. pallescens (Akhter 2001), C. brachyspora, C. eragrostidis, C. fallax, C. penniseti, C. prasadii, C. stapeliae (Haque 2006), C. lunata, C. lunata var. aeria (Shamsi et al. 2003), C. clavata and C. senegalensis (Akhter 1993). Taxonomic description of Curvularia harveyi is given below. Curvularia harveyi Shipton (Plate 1) Colonies fluffy, olivaceous black. Conidiophores solitary, mostly unbranched, straight or slightly undulating, often geniculate, pale to dark brown, septate, 56-95 µm long, 4.0-5.6 µm thick, often swollen at the base. Conidia with 3 septa, dark brown, almost straight or slightly curved, at the third cell from the base is larger and darker than the others, end cells subhyaline or pale brown, smooth, 24-43 × 9.2-15.6 µm. 1Corresponding author. E-mail: zohams@aitlbd.net 2E-mail: arju_yasmin@hotmail.com 68 SHAMSI AND YASMIN Specimen examined: Isolated from the infected leaves of Zea mays L. (Poaceae), Botanical Research Garden, Curzon Hall, University of Dhaka, 24 September 2005, A. Yasmin, 3. Plate 1. Curvularia harveyi. A. Infected leaf of maize (Zea mays); B. Culture plate; C. Photomicrograph of the mycelia, conidia and conidiophores; D. Camera lucida drawings of the fungus: i) conidiophore and ii) conidia. CURVULARIA HARVEYI 69 Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to Prof. Jadu Lal Karmoker, Chairman, Department of Botany, University of Dhaka for providing all laboratory facilities for carrying out the present work and Prof. M.R. Khan of the same department for his cooperation, suggestions, encouragement and helping in microscopic and digital photography. References Akhter, R. 1993. A study of some dematiaceous hyphomycetes associated with dead plant parts. M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Botany, University of Dhaka, pp. 56. Akhter, S. 2001. Taxonomic studies of some dematiaceous hyphomycetes associated with diseased plant parts. M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Botany, University of Dhaka, pp. 74. BARI (Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute) 2004. Gam o vuttar prodhan rog somuho abong tar protiker (Major diseases of wheat and maize and their control) (in Bangla). Publication No. bklt- 02/2004-05. Plant Pathology Department, BARI, Dhaka. Ellis, M.B. 1971. Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, England, pp. 608. Haque, J. 2006. Study of fungi associated with some selected vegetables of Bangladesh. M.S. Thesis, Department of Botany, University of Dhaka, pp. 64. Shamsi, S., Khan, A.Z.M. Nowsher A., Shahjahan, A.K.M. and Miah, S.A. 2003. Fungal species associated with sheaths and grains of sheath rot affected rice varieties from Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Bot. 32(1): 17-22. Yasmin, A. 2007. Fungi associated with infected maize plant (Zea mays L.) and chemical control of the selected pathogenic species. M.S. Thesis, Department of Botany, University of Dhaka, pp. 72. (Manuscript received on 11 March 2007; revised on 7 April 2007) A NEW HYPHOMYCETES RECORD FOR BANGLADESH