Blue Mold of Pear Caused by Penicillium aurantiogriseum in Korea

The isolation of a causal pathogen from pear fruits showing lesions of blue mold was carried out, which were preserved in the packinghouse of Anseong for the export to the United States. When the lesion of pears (Pyrus pyrifolia Niitaka) was checked in packinghouse, their fruit epidermis over decayed parts varied from light tan to dark brown. Also, the decayed flesh was soft and watery, and separated easily from the healthy tissue. Based on the cultural and morphological characteristics, the fungus (IL-12 isolate) was identified as Penicillium aurantiogriseum. This is the first report associated with blue mold of pear caused by P. aurantiogriseum in Korea.