Samira Karimzadeh's research while affiliated with University of Tehran and other places

Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.), is a member of the Lamiaceae family. During the summer of 2018, in order to identify the causal agent, pennyroyal leaves with round to spindle and dark brown to black spots with white centers were collected from Zayandeh Rud riversides of the Eail Bagi village, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran. The morphological and the molecular identification of the recovered fungal isolate was performed based on the partial sequence of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpdh) region. The fungal isolate was finally identified as Stemphylium symphyti. In the pathogenicity test, the Koch’s postulates were performed in a greenhouse, and the same leaf spot symptoms were observed in the inoculated leaves of the pennyroyal plants and S. symphyti was re-isolated. Stemphylium symphyti is a new taxon for funga of Iran, and this is the first report of S. symphyti causing leaf spot in the M. pulegium leaves in the world.

Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) leaves with small irregular or ellipsoidal necrotic spots were collected in a suburb area of Ardal city, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province of Iran in summer 2018. A fungal isolate was recovered from diseased tissue and identified as Bipolaris sorokiniana based on morphological characteristics and a partial sequence of the gpdh gene. In a pathogenicity study, disease symptoms were observed on inoculated leaves after 14 days. The same pathogen was re-isolated and identified from diseased leaves, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. This is the first report of B. sorokiniana causing leaf spots on Mentha pulegium in Iran and the world.