First report of leaf spot of Wodyetia bifurcata caused by Alternaria alternata in Pakistan

Wodyetia bifurcata is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant. During the survey of the W. bifurcata in Punjab, Pakistan in 2022, leaves with circular to irregular light brown to blackish spots were commonly observed and sampled for further analyses. A total of three Alternaria isolates were obtained from diseased leaves. Among them, one representative (FPAA-1 strain) was selected and identified based on morphological characterization and multilocus sequences of the internal transcribed spacer of rDNA (ITS), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF1). On detached leaves Alternaria alternata isolate-1 was able to incite symptoms similar to those observed in the field. The same pathogen was re-isolated, thus confirming Koch's postulates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of A. alternata causing leaf spot disease in W. bifurcate trees in Pakistan. •Leaf Spot on Foxtail palm was observed in Punjab Province of Pakistan.•Pathogenicity test indicated Alternaria alternata as casual organism of leaf spot of Foxtail palm.•This is first report recorded occurrence of leaf spot caused by A. alternata in Foxtail palm tree worldwide.