Gray Mold of Clematis Caused by Botrytis cinerea

Gray mold disease of clematis was found from 1995 to 1997 in the garden of Osaka Agricultural Forestry Research Center. Typical symptoms were leaf spot and tip burn of leaf, with the spots sometimes having zonate rings. Many spores appeared on the leaf spots under humid conditions. A Botrytis species was consistently isolated from the infected leaves. The conidiophore of the fungus was apically branched. The conidia were about 8-16×5-10μm (mostly 9-13×6-8μm) under SEM, many micro-projections appeared on the surface of conidia. The fungus infected eggplant and tomato leaves and strawberry fruits. Symptoms on inoculated plants were similar to those of gray mold disease caused by Botrytis cinerea. The fungus from clematis was identified as Botrytis cinerea Persoon: Fries based on morphological and cultural studies.