A taxonomic study on Stemphylium species associated with black (sooty) head mold of wheat and barley in Iran

Stemphylium as a monophyletic genus of filamentous ascomycetes, comprises both of saprophytic and plant pathogenic species with worldwide distribution. In an investigation of fungi associated with the black (sooty) head mold of wheat and barley in different regions of Golestan, Alborz and Qazvin provinces, thirty–two isolates with typical characteristics of the genus Stemphylium were recovered. All isolates were subjected to morphological assessments and DNA sequence analyses (ITS–rDNA and a part of GPDH gene). As a result, four species viz. Stemphylium alfalfae, S. eturmiunum, S. lycii and S. vesicarium were identified. The association of all identified species with the black head mold symptoms of wheat and barley is reported for the first time and S. eturmiunum and S. lycii are new records to the mycobiota of Iran.