''Septoria'' is a genus of

fungal A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one of the tradit ...

plant pathogens Plant diseases are diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, viroids, virus-like orga ...

in the phylum

Ascomycota Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The def ...

. They cause necrotic

leaf spot A leaf spot is a limited, discoloured, diseased area of a leaf that is caused by fungal, bacterial or viral plant diseases, or by injuries from nematodes, insects, environmental factors, toxicity or herbicides. These discoloured spots or lesions ...

s on the leaves of their hosts, producing filiform or cylindrical

conidia A conidium ( ; : conidia), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (: chlamydoconidia), is an asexual, non- motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also ...

inside

pycnidia A pycnidium (plural pycnidia) is an asexual fruiting body produced by mitosporic fungi, for instance in the order Sphaeropsidales ( Deuteromycota, Coelomycetes) or order Pleosporales (Ascomycota, Dothideomycetes). It is often spherical or inve ...

embedded in the leaves. Economically important species cause diseases on field crops,

forages Foraging is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's Fitness (biology), fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce. Optimal foraging theory, Foraging theory is a branch of behaviora ...

, and

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

s. The

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

is widespread, and estimated to contain 1072 species.

Notable species

'' Septoria apiicola'' is the cause of late blight of

celery Celery (''Apium graveolens'' Dulce Group or ''Apium graveolens'' var. ''dulce'') is a cultivated plant belonging to the species ''Apium graveolens'' in the family Apiaceae that has been used as a vegetable since ancient times. The original wild ...

. It can survive on seeds, causing disease in the seedlings when they germinate. Several species of

passion flower ''Passiflora'', known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 550 species of flowering plants, the type genus of the family Passifloraceae. ''Passiflora'' species are widely cultivated for their striking flowers, fla ...

are infected by several species of ''Septoria''. One species, initially thought to be ''

Septoria passiflorae ''Septoria'' is a genus of fungal plant pathogens in the phylum Ascomycota. They cause necrotic leaf spots on the leaves of their hosts, producing filiform or cylindrical conidia inside pycnidia embedded in the leaves. Economically important spe ...

'', but actually an

undescribed species In taxonomy, an undescribed taxon is a taxon (for example, a species) that has been discovered, but not yet formally described and named. The various Nomenclature Codes specify the requirements for a new taxon to be validly described and named. U ...

, has been used to control the invasive '' Passiflora tarminiana'' in Hawai'i.

Dispersal

The

produce

, which are pushed out through an opening. They are spread by splashing rain.

Taxonomy

In 2013, two large volumes (about 80 pages a piece) on ''Septoria'' and septoria-like fungi were published in the open access journal ''Studies in Mycology''. In these papers by Quaedvlieg et al. and Verkley et al., the genus ''Septoria'' is clearly defined and identification techniques are discussed in detail. Besides going into detail about the genus ''Septoria s. str.'', many septoria-like genera are discussed and clearly illustrated. Species include:

Gallery

References

Fungal plant pathogens and diseases Mycosphaerellaceae genera Taxa named by Pier Andrea Saccardo Taxa described in 1884 {{Capnodiales-stub