First record of Aspergillus niger (OR365417) infecting Musa paradisiaca leaves

First record of Aspergillus niger (OR365417) infecting Musa paradisiaca leaves | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Short Report First record of Aspergillus niger (OR365417) infecting Musa paradisiaca leaves Papan Chowhan, Sumi Paul, Arka Pratim Chakraborty This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6240551/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Leaf spot disease was observed on the leaves of field-grown banana ( Musa paradisiaca ) between November 2022 and January 2023. The disease was first reported from Ramganj (Latitude: 25.640855; Longitude: 88.430628). There were yellowish brown spots all over the central part of the leaves. Fungus was blackish in color. The fungus as Aspergillus niger (OR365417) was identified via molecular identification (18S rDNA partial sequencing). Using the Koch postulation, the leaf spot disease was restored on banana plant leaves. This is the first record of A. niger (OR365417) affecting banana from Ramganj region of Uttar Dinajpur District, West Bengal. Leaf spot disease Musa paradisiaca Aspergillus niger Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Full Text Leaf spot disease was observed on the leaves of field-grown banana ( Musa paradisiaca ) between November 2022 and January 2023. The disease was first reported from Ramganj (Latitude: 25.640855; Longitude: 88.430628) (Fig. 1). There were yellowish brown spots all over the central part of the leaves. Total number of 25 plants out of 27 plants had the similar symptoms with a percentage of 92.59. 0.1% HgCl 2 was used to surface sterilize the diseased leaf sample, which measured 1 to 1.5 cm. On potato dextrose agar supplemented with the antibiotic Monocef-O 100, a fungus coded as MUSLF-3 was isolated from the diseased leaf. The MUSLF-3 isolate's spore and mycelia were observed under a scanning electron microscope (Fig. 2). Using a Veriti® 96-well thermal cycler, isolated DNA was amplified using 18s rRNA Specific Primers (ITS1 and ITS4). A ~600 bp PCR amplicon band was found. ITS1 and ITS4 primers (ITS1- TCC GTA GGT GAA CCT GC GG; ITS4- TCC TCC GCT TAT TGA TAT GC) were used in a bi-directional DNA sequencing reaction of the PCR amplicon using the BDT v3.1 Cycle sequencing kit on an ABI 3500Dx Genetic Analyzer. Fungus was blackish in color. The fungus as Aspergillus niger (OR365417) was identified via molecular identification (18S rDNA partial sequencing) and the fungal rDNA sequence data was submitted to NCBI GenBank (Fig. 3). Using the neighbor joining approach, A. niger (OR365417) was phylogenetically analyzed alongside other ex- Aspergillus species (Fig. 4). As per NIH Nucleotide BLAST results this isolate MUSLF-03 (OR365417) have showing 99.83 and 99.50 identity with Srilankan isolate MZ331798.1 and Pakistan isolate KJ432863.1 respectively. Within three to five days, disease signs appeared on the infected banana leaves that had been detached. Yellow- brownish spots were appeared on the middle portion of the infected detached leaves after 10 days of inoculation of spore suspension (1X10 8 spores/ ml suspension) of A. niger (Fig. 5). Infection was established in the internal structure of the infected leaves (observed through transverse section of infected leaves) (Fig. 6). Existence of spore of A. niger was found on infected detached leaf surface of banana through scanning electron microscopy (Fig. 7). Control leaves were intact, but A. niger was reisolated from the infected areas of leaves and the fungus was morphologically recognized. The symptoms were comparable to those seen in the field, despite the artificial nature of the inoculation technique. Using the Koch postulation, the leaf spot disease was restored on banana plant leaves under field settings following foliar application of a spore suspension (1X10 8 spores/ml suspension) of A. niger (Fig. 8) in total of 8 plants. Out of 8 plants, similar symptoms were appeared in 7 plants after seven days of artificial inoculation. The disease reappearance was with a percentage of was 88. Infection was also established in the internal structure of the infected leaves, collected from the field (Fig. 9) and existence of spore of A. niger was found on infected leaf surface of banana (Fig. 10). This is the first record of A. niger (OR365417) affecting banana from Ramganj region of Uttar Dinajpur District, West Bengal, as per USDA fungal database there were reports from Bangadesh and Brazil that Aspergillus niger causing fruit rot of banana ( Musa paradisiaca ), but there are no previous report of A. niger causing leaf spot disease from India. Similar results to the report of Aspergillus niger causing banana plant fruit rot disease were recorded. (Ali et al. 2021; Zakaria et al. 2021; Bashar et al. 2012). Declarations Acknowledgments We acknowledge the Director of the USIC Scanning Electron Microscopy Unit at the University of North Bengal for taking the scanning electron microscopic images and M/s Edison Life Science, Kolkata, for molecularly identifying the isolate. Data Availability Statement This research work did not involve in the generation or analysis of any kind of separate datasets. All relevant data collected during the study are presented in the manuscript. Clinical Trial Not applicable Ethical approval The leaf samples used in the present study were procured from Ramganj, Uttar Dinajpur, between November 2022 and January 2023. samples are collected during survey programs of Banana cultivated fields in the local area, permitted and approved by the university and samples are documented properly. As an Assistant Professor of the Department of Botany of Raiganj University, the Corresponding author was fully authorised to collect, conserve, and study the local crop plant diseases and research the causal organisms. All the guidelines were followed as per the University research ethics for the collection, isolation, and documentation of the pathogens. No human or animal was harmed by the participants in the research that was presented. The experimental protocols were approved by the Raiganj University Research. The collection of the plants used in the study complies with local or national guidelines with no need for further affirmation Funding No funding support was taken. Conflict of Interest: No conflicts of interest are disclosed by the author or authors. Informed consent No informed consent was required for this publication. Consent of publication I, Papan Chowhan performed the experiment and surveyed the cultivated fields. The photos belong to me. I have no objection if any image is used for publication in purposes of this article. References Ali, F., Akhtar, N., Shafique, S. and Shafique, S. 2021. Isolation and identification of Aspergilli causing banana fruit rot. Open J Chem. 4: 8-18. Zakaria, L., Yan, C.Y., Mohd, M.H., Kamaruddin, N.A. and Azuddin, N.F. 2021. Characterisation and pathogenicity of Aspergillus tamarii causing banana fruit rot. Trop Life Sci Res. 32: 170-187. Bashar, M. A., Shamsi, S., & Hossain, M. (2012). Fungi associated with rotten fruits in Dhaka Metropolis. Bangladesh Journal of Botany. 41(1):115-117. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6240551","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Short Report","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":431374720,"identity":"7a39f34d-7320-4036-b89c-ea6450ba7d3f","order_by":0,"name":"Papan Chowhan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Raiganj University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Papan","middleName":"","lastName":"Chowhan","suffix":""},{"id":431374721,"identity":"10525213-3058-4631-b678-bc23a803bc35","order_by":1,"name":"Sumi Paul","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Raiganj University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sumi","middleName":"","lastName":"Paul","suffix":""},{"id":431374722,"identity":"020f9ee2-99cd-47f0-b57d-31af52506a28","order_by":2,"name":"Arka Pratim Chakraborty","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABAUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACNgYGxgY4zwaIGRsPEKNFAspLA2lpIEnLYTCJVwv/7GOJHxh32NTxz+4x+/i17bzd2vbDQFtqbKJxaZE4l3ZYgvFMmoTEnTPGs2XbbidvO5MI1HIsLbcBl54z7A0SjG2HJRhu5BgzSwK1mB0AamFsOIxTi/wZ9uYfIC3yEC3nks3OP8SvxeAM2zGwLQZALYwf2w7Ymd0gYIvhGbY0i8QzaZIbb6QVMzOcS04wuwG0JQGPX+TOsBnf+LjDhl/uRvJmxh9ldvZm59MfPvhQY4Pb+yCQACY5DJh5GBgSGxAiBAH7A8YfDAz2xCkeBaNgFIyCkQQANtJjQ3R0smYAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Raiganj University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Arka","middleName":"Pratim","lastName":"Chakraborty","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-03-17 03:23:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6240551/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6240551/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":79338459,"identity":"1afc5c06-9b44-43ed-ba28-c4271134f73a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-27 08:17:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":139979,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig.1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6240551/v1/8f934f91a1546c9ce223d253.jpg"},{"id":79338462,"identity":"4fa2ce42-1f4c-4fd0-8d80-7ae994821370","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-27 08:17:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":151991,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig.2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6240551/v1/aa3d24c451a6bf925edd0e0a.jpg"},{"id":79338461,"identity":"ac901bf9-9b04-44d6-a90e-c60da70966b6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-27 08:17:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":160719,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig.3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6240551/v1/168980fd634155619f7ae2bd.jpg"},{"id":79337982,"identity":"28079c49-59d4-4725-ab03-eb487fae48ce","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-27 08:09:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":140057,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig.4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6240551/v1/997f3b57d23b645dbf3cd83d.jpg"},{"id":79337983,"identity":"7d9eb96f-9d24-4ea0-a051-01cb43ec2e1b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-27 08:09:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":172636,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig.5.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6240551/v1/c206224cb3f1235b7a588015.jpg"},{"id":79337999,"identity":"f3e24847-3548-4d16-b967-85b94e359462","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-27 08:09:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":168726,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig.6.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6240551/v1/b1499cefd557958c83fb938e.jpg"},{"id":79337991,"identity":"30ff3eef-a96b-47c1-8dea-16b4939c6e64","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-27 08:09:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":228366,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig.7.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6240551/v1/8a7e8be1d3cfa9ebf78ad0e6.jpg"},{"id":79338463,"identity":"31ddcef2-8945-4cc1-a4d2-e93e3fc1c4eb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-27 08:17:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":237389,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig.8.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6240551/v1/970ff6001ccfed9ca13d6edd.jpg"},{"id":79338465,"identity":"8924bbc0-ac78-4f8c-bc67-a9df1c4f021d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-27 08:17:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":143992,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig.9.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6240551/v1/c6354bbe2e16c791bb061c09.jpg"},{"id":79338001,"identity":"1f62b34f-ca7e-4175-8532-6f7cc2cebcfc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-27 08:09:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":10,"title":"Figure 10","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":186790,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig.10.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6240551/v1/337c3c583c984334662ae467.jpg"},{"id":80076804,"identity":"1d4a3f47-4cb9-49bb-9979-f0bc1694837d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-07 15:01:51","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2059199,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6240551/v1/c9990286-3066-484f-ad2f-ff85f29a98dc.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"First record of Aspergillus niger (OR365417) infecting Musa paradisiaca leaves","fulltext":[{"header":"Full Text","content":"\u003cp\u003eLeaf spot disease was observed on the leaves of field-grown banana (\u003cem\u003eMusa paradisiaca\u003c/em\u003e) between November 2022 and January 2023. The disease was first reported from Ramganj (Latitude: 25.640855; Longitude: 88.430628) (Fig. 1). There were yellowish brown spots all over the central part of the leaves. Total number of 25 plants out of 27 plants had the similar symptoms with a percentage of 92.59. 0.1% HgCl\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e was used to surface sterilize the diseased leaf sample, which measured 1 to 1.5 cm. On potato dextrose agar supplemented with the antibiotic \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Monocef-O 100, a fungus coded as MUSLF-3 was isolated from the diseased leaf.\u0026nbsp;The MUSLF-3 isolate\u0026apos;s spore and mycelia were observed under a scanning electron microscope (Fig. 2). Using a Veriti\u0026reg; 96-well thermal cycler, isolated DNA was amplified using 18s rRNA Specific Primers (ITS1 and ITS4). A ~600 bp PCR amplicon band was found. \u0026nbsp;ITS1 and ITS4 primers (ITS1- TCC GTA GGT GAA CCT GC GG; ITS4- TCC TCC GCT TAT TGA TAT GC) were used in a bi-directional DNA sequencing reaction of the PCR amplicon using the BDT v3.1 Cycle sequencing kit on an ABI 3500Dx Genetic Analyzer.\u0026nbsp;Fungus was blackish in color. The fungus as \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e (OR365417) was identified via molecular identification (18S rDNA partial sequencing) and the fungal rDNA sequence data was submitted to NCBI GenBank \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;(Fig. 3). Using the neighbor joining approach, \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e (OR365417) was phylogenetically analyzed alongside other ex-\u003cem\u003eAspergillus\u003c/em\u003e species (Fig. 4). As per NIH \u0026nbsp; Nucleotide BLAST results this isolate MUSLF-03 (OR365417) have showing 99.83 and 99.50 identity with Srilankan isolate \u0026nbsp; MZ331798.1 and Pakistan isolate KJ432863.1 respectively. Within three to five days, disease signs appeared on the infected banana leaves that had been detached. Yellow- brownish spots were appeared on the middle portion of the infected detached leaves after 10 days of inoculation of spore suspension (1X10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e spores/ ml suspension) of \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e (Fig. 5). Infection was established in the internal structure of the infected leaves (observed through transverse section of infected leaves) (Fig. 6). Existence of spore of \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e was found on infected detached leaf surface of banana through scanning electron microscopy (Fig. 7).\u0026nbsp;Control leaves were\u0026nbsp;intact, but \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e was reisolated from the infected areas\u0026nbsp;of leaves\u0026nbsp;and the fungus was morphologically recognized. The symptoms were comparable to those seen in the field, despite the artificial nature of the\u0026nbsp;inoculation\u0026nbsp;technique.\u0026nbsp;Using the Koch postulation, the leaf spot disease was restored on banana plant leaves under field settings following foliar application of a spore suspension (1X10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e spores/ml suspension) of \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e (Fig. 8) in total of 8 plants. Out of 8 plants, similar symptoms were appeared in 7 plants after seven days of artificial inoculation. The disease reappearance was with a percentage of was 88. \u0026nbsp; Infection was also established in the internal structure of the infected leaves, collected from the field (Fig. 9) and existence of spore of \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e was found on infected leaf surface of banana (Fig. 10).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the first record of \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e (OR365417) affecting banana from Ramganj region of Uttar Dinajpur District, West Bengal, as per USDA fungal database there were reports from Bangadesh and Brazil that \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e causing fruit rot of banana (\u003cem\u003eMusa paradisiaca\u003c/em\u003e), but there are no previous report\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003eof \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e causing leaf spot disease from India. Similar results to the report of \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e causing banana plant fruit rot disease were recorded. (Ali et al. 2021; Zakaria et al. 2021; Bashar et al. 2012).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe acknowledge the Director of the USIC Scanning Electron Microscopy Unit at the University of North Bengal for taking the scanning electron microscopic images and M/s Edison Life Science, Kolkata, for molecularly identifying the isolate.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData Availability Statement\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research work did not involve in the generation or analysis of any kind of \u0026nbsp;separate datasets. All relevant data collected during the study are presented in the manuscript.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical Trial\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;Not applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical approval\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe leaf samples used in the present study were procured from\u0026nbsp;Ramganj, Uttar Dinajpur, between November 2022 and January 2023. samples are collected during survey programs of Banana cultivated fields in the local area, permitted and approved by the university and samples are documented properly. As an Assistant Professor of the Department of Botany of Raiganj University, the Corresponding author was fully authorised to collect, conserve, and study the local crop plant diseases and research the causal organisms. All the guidelines were followed as per the University research ethics for the collection, isolation, and documentation of the pathogens. No human or animal was harmed by the participants in the research that was presented. The experimental protocols were approved by the Raiganj University Research. The collection of the plants used in the study complies with local or national guidelines with no need for further affirmation\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo funding support was taken.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of Interest:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo conflicts of interest are disclosed by the author or authors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInformed consent\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo informed consent was required for this publication.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent of publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI, Papan Chowhan performed the experiment and surveyed the cultivated fields. The photos belong to me. I have no objection if any image is used for publication in purposes of this article.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAli, F., Akhtar, N., Shafique, S. and Shafique, S. 2021. Isolation and identification of \u003cem\u003eAspergilli\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ecausing banana fruit rot. \u003cstrong\u003eOpen J Chem.\u003c/strong\u003e 4: 8-18.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eZakaria, L., Yan, C.Y., Mohd, M.H., Kamaruddin, N.A. and Azuddin, N.F. 2021. Characterisation and pathogenicity of \u003cem\u003eAspergillus tamarii\u003c/em\u003e causing banana fruit rot. \u003cstrong\u003eTrop Life Sci Res.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e32: 170-187.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eBashar, M. A., Shamsi, S., \u0026amp; Hossain, M. (2012). Fungi associated with rotten fruits in Dhaka Metropolis. \u003cstrong\u003eBangladesh Journal of Botany.\u003c/strong\u003e 41(1):115-117.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Leaf spot disease, Musa paradisiaca, Aspergillus niger","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6240551/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6240551/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eLeaf spot disease was observed on the leaves of field-grown banana (\u003cem\u003eMusa paradisiaca\u003c/em\u003e) between November 2022 and January 2023. The disease was first reported from Ramganj (Latitude: 25.640855; Longitude: 88.430628). There were yellowish brown spots all over the central part of the leaves. Fungus was blackish in color. The fungus as \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e (OR365417) was identified via molecular identification (18S rDNA partial sequencing). Using the Koch postulation, the leaf spot disease was restored on banana plant leaves. This is the first record of \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e (OR365417) affecting banana from Ramganj region of Uttar Dinajpur District, West Bengal.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"First record of Aspergillus niger (OR365417) infecting Musa paradisiaca leaves","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-03-27 08:09:40","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6240551/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"0fe9dbd5-2b44-484d-880a-928a7d36b2da","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 27th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-04-07T14:53:42+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-03-27 08:09:40","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6240551","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6240551","identity":"rs-6240551","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}