LAUSR

Abstract Potato leaves with symptoms of foliar diseases were collected from eight different geographical areas in southern China. A total of 109 Alternaria isolates were recovered and identified to three species according to morphological characteristics, nucleotide sequencing and PCR-RFLP analysis. Three Alternaria species were recovered, of which A. tenuissima was the most common, followed by A. alternata and A. solani. Pathogenicity tests indicated that all species caused foliar symptoms on potato cultivar ‘Favorite’. Compared with earlier results reported in 2010–2013 in northern China, the proportion of A. alternata isolates was notably increased, while the number of A. solani isolates was lower. This study provides a survey of the Alternaria species composition associated with potato foliar diseases in southern China.