ABSTRACT
Soybean seed decay and poor seed quality have commonly been attributed to the pod and stem blight pathogen, Diaporthe phaseolorum var. sojae (Dps) (5, 6, 12, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 27), and the soybean stem canker pathogen, D. phaseolorum var. caulivora (Dpc) (16, 24). A third inciting agent, an undescribed Phomopsis sp., generally has been overlooked or considered to be a Diaporthe sp. based on cultural and asexual characteristics. Lehman (20), Lutrell (21), and Hildebrand (12) have described non-perthecial isolates of Phomopsis. The importance of an imperfect Phomopsis as the most prevalent component of the soybean pod and stem blight and seed decay complex was emphasized by Kmetz et al. (16). The importance of Phomposis in the soybean seed decay complex has not been evaluated. Until recently, attention has been focused on distinguishing between Dps and Dpc (4, 12, 24) and the identity and role of the non-perithecial Phomopsis isolates from soybean was neglected.
