ABSTRACT
Helminthosporium is the most commonly used name for a large genus of filamentous fungi that produce similar conidia (asexual spores). In the most recent taxonomic revision, Alcorn (1983) has split the genus into Bipolaris, Drechslera, and Exserohilum. Each of these genera has a unique perfect state: Cochliobolus, Pyrenophora, and Setosphaeria, respectively. Cochliobolus is the name for the sexual stage (teleomorph) of the subgroup Bipolaris and is the subject of this review. However, because of its long history, familiarity, and continued use by many workers in the field of plant pathology, the name Helminthosporium is also used in this chapter.
