부산대학교 도서관

Baby rubber plant (Peperomia obtusifoliam (L.) A. Dieter) originated from Venezuela is evergreen, indoor, ornamental plant. During survey of seedling disease in Taipei, the rotten base stems of the plant was found. The white silk-like mycelia were found both on the surfaces of infected plants and around the ground. The diseased plants appeared root and crown rot, foliage blight, and eventually death of the plants. The fungus isolated from the infested plants had been identified as Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc., which can produce sclerotia on potato dextrose agar. Baby rubber plants inoculated with potato dextrose agar disks containing the isolated fungi appeared the same symptoms observed in the field. The same fungi had been re-isolated again from the artificial infected tissues. By Koch's rules we comfirmed the disease was Southern blight of baby rubber plants. This is the first record of the appearance of the Southern blight of baby rubber plants.