Identification and Prevalence of Seedborne spp. in Dry Pea, Lentil, and Chickpea in Montana.

spp. cause gray mold and are significant pathogens of pulse crops (dry pea, lentil, and chickpea). Seedling infection can result in plant stunting and death. In this study, 100 isolates were recovered from pulse crop seed samples that were submitted to the Regional Pulse Crop Diagnostic Laboratory at Montana State University. Nine spp. were found to be associated with pulse seeds in Montana based on a combination of cultural characteristics; the amplification of partial sequences of the , 60, and 2 genes; and phylogenetic analysis. ( = 54) was the predominant species, followed by ( = 22) and ( = 11). There were a few isolates of and five novel spp. that included one cryptic species. To determine the pathogenicity and aggressiveness of the isolates, dry pea cultivar Lifter, lentil cultivar Richlea, and chickpea cultivar Sierra, detached leaves were inoculated using mycelial plugs. Lesion diameter produced by isolates on three hosts differed ( < 0.05). Aggressiveness of was high in all three hosts and varied among the tested isolates. Spore inoculations were conducted on greenhouse-grown dry pea, lentil and chickpea plants using one sporulating isolate each of , and sp. 1. Results indicated that these isolates were pathogenic on the tested hosts. This study illustrates that many species of are associated with pulse crop seed in Montana and can be aggressive on multiple crops, which may have implications for disease management.