First report of Peronospora saturejae-hortensis in Iran

Abstract

In November 2018 severe downy mildew infection was observed on summer savory plants in Kermanshah Province, Iran. Leaves on infected plants displayed chlorosis-browning on the upper surfaces and abundant dark gray-brown sporulation of the asexual morph on the lower surfaces. Based on the morphological characteristics and molecular analyses using ITS-1 and ITS-4, the species was identified as Peronospora saturejae-hortensis. The nucleotide sequence of this pathogen had a very high (99.9%) identity with a previously reported sequence of P. saturejae-hortensis from Germany. The possibility of infection on other native Satureja species in Iran is discussed.