Leaf spot

A leaf spot is a limited, discoloured, diseased area of a leaf that is caused by fungal, bacterial or viral plant diseases, or by injuries from nematodes, insects, environmental factors, toxicity or herbicides. These discoloured spots or lesions often have a centre of necrosis (cell death). Symptoms can overlap across causal agents, however differing signs and symptoms of certain pathogens can lead to the diagnosis of the type of leaf spot disease. Prolonged wet and humid conditions promote leaf spot disease and most pathogens are spread by wind, splashing rain or irrigation that carry the disease to other leaves. Leaf spots are a type of plant disease that are usually caused by pathogens and sometimes other cases such as herbicide injuries. Leaf spots can vary in size, shape, and color depending on the age and type of the cause or pathogen. Plants, shrubs and trees are weakened by the spots on the leaves as they reduce available foliar space for photosynthesis. Other forms of leaf spot diseases include leaf rust, downy mildew and blights. Although leaf spot diseases can affect a small percentage of the host's leaves, more severe consequences of leaf spot disease results in moderate to complete loss of leaves. The causes of leaf spots are mainly from fungi, bacteria, and viruses. However leaf spots may also be caused by abiotic factors such as environmental conditions, toxicities and herbicide injuries. Foliar nematodes are another cause of leaf spots where the saliva injected into the cell walls during feeding results in the affected cells to discolour and become lesions. Aphelenchoides are common foliar nematodes which produce angular leaf spots. The Aphelenchoides ritzemabosi affects chrysanthemum and other plants such as dry beans and bird's nest fern, and the Aphelenchoides fragariae affects strawberry and other ornamentals ferns. Foliar diseases such as leaf spots are commonly caused by ascomycetes and so-called deuteromycetes (mitosporic fungi). The most common cause of bacterial leaf spots are by bacteria in the genera Pseudomonas and Xanthomonas.