phyllosticta on tea plants in iran: an update to species recognition

The tea plant (camellia sinensis) is an economically important shrub cultivated in northern iran. various fungal genera, including phyllosticta spp., are associated with leaf spots on tea plants. several species of phyllosticta exhibit similar morphological and, in some cases, molecular characteristics. therefore, precise species identification requires integrating all available data, including morphological features, molecular sequences, host-fungus relationships, pathogenicity tests, etc.  to clarify the taxonomic position of phyllosticta species associated with tea plants in iran, a multi-faceted approach was employed, incorporating morphology, field observation, its, tef-1α, and act sequences, along with clustering analysis. this comprehensive study revealed that the previously identified p. theacearum shares characteristics with p. capitalensis, which is primarily recognized for its endophytic nature. this marks the first report of p. capitalensis being associated with tea plants in iran.