Cucurbitaceous plants comprise a wide range of economically important vegetable and fruit crops. In this study, Alternaria species associated with Cucurbitaceae were investigated using an integrative approach combining multilocus phylogenetic analyses and morphological characterization. Two novel species, Alternaria charantiicola sp. nov. and A. cucumicola sp. nov., were identified from Momordica charantia and Cucumis sp., respectively. In addition, five Alternaria species, namely A. zeae, A. lycopersici, A. sanguisorbae, A. pulvinifungicola, and A. solanicola, are reported for the first time from cucurbitaceous hosts. These findings expand the known species diversity of Alternaria associated with Cucurbitaceae in China and provide a taxonomic basis for the accurate diagnosis of Alternaria-related diseases in cucurbit crops.
He et al. (Tue,) studied this question.