Abstract
During winter season of 2004 to 2006, a scab disease on balsam pear (Momordica charantia) caused by Cladosporium cucumerinum was observed in Daesan-myon, Changwon-city, Gyeongnam province, Koyea. The disease symptom started with small dark brown speck on the fruits and leaves then the lesions expanded and spreaded irregularly. The aggregated mycelial mass and conidia of the fungus formed sooty scab. The colony of purely isolated fungus grew in greenish black to velvety on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Conidia were ellipsoidal, fusiform or subspherical, mostly one-celled but occasionally septated and $3{\sim}32{\times}2{\sim}6{\mu}m$ in size. The conidiophores were erected and had long branch, chains pale olivaceous brown in color and $6{\times}280{\mu}m$ in size. Ramoconidia were $10{\sim}34{\times}3{\sim}8{\mu}m$ in size. The fungus was identified as Cladosporium cucumerinum based on the morphological characteristics. The pathogenicity of the fungus was confirmed according to Koch's postulate. The optimum temperature of the isolate was about $20^{\circ}C$. This is the first report on scab of balsam pear caused by C. cucumerinum in Korea.
