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Abstract
Switchgrass has been selected as a model herbaceous crop for the production of biofuel. Research is aimed to increase the biomass yield of switchgrass. Diseases of switchgrass pose a rise to the domestication of switchgrass in a monocultural setting. A new disease, false smut, was identified on switchgrass in 2020 caused by Epicoccum spp. False smut severity was accessed by scoring for a diversity panel located in Watkinsville, GA. Four Epicoccum species were isolated from false smut, Epicoccum andropogonis, E. nigrum, E. sorghinum, and E. spegazzinii, and reinoculated onto switchgrass seedlings in a controlled environment. E. sorghinum, an E. spegazzinii were classified as pathogens while E. amdropogonis and E. nigrum were classified as endophytes on switchgrass. The relatedness of the Epicoccum species was evaluated with the internal transcribed spacer region (503 bp), the β-tubulin gene (278 bp), and elongation factor 1-alpha gene (587 bp).