Alternaria hungarica sp. nov., a minor foliar pathogen of wheat in Hungary

During routine wheat disease surveys in Hungary in 2007 Alternaria was isolated from leaf samples collected in Debrecen. Macro- and micro-morphological examinations and ITS sequence analyses indicated that the isolates represented a new Alternaria species, which we described as A. hungarica. The usually solitary conidia of A. hungarica resemble those of A. mouchaccae and A. molesta. However growth and sporulation pattern are more like those of A. geniostomatis and A. soliaridae. Phylogenetic analysis of ITS sequences indicated that this new species can be distinguished from all other examined Alternaria and Embellisia species. Pathogenicity tests indicated that A. hungarica can be considered a minor pathogen of wheat.