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Botryosphaeriaceae species causing canker and dieback of English walnut ( Juglans regia ) in Italy
Author(s) -
Gusella Giorgio,
Giambra Selene,
Conigliaro Gaetano,
Burruano Santella,
Polizzi Giancarlo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
forest pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.535
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1439-0329
pISSN - 1437-4781
DOI - 10.1111/efp.12661
Subject(s) - juglans , botryosphaeria dothidea , canker , biology , botany , orchard , horticulture
English walnut ( Juglans regia ) is an important nut crop worldwide and is currently considered emerging in Italy. Botryosphaeriaceae fungi cause symptoms including cankers, discoloration and dieback, and several species are reported across the world on walnut. In this study, symptomatic trees from an orchard in Southern Italy showing branch dieback, cankers, wood discoloration and gummosis were surveyed. Three different fungi from the Botryosphaeriaceae were consistently isolated from symptomatic tissues. Representative isolates were characterized using morphological and molecular approaches based on conidial morphology, optimum growth temperature and the comparison of DNA sequence data from the ITS, tef1‐α and tub2 loci. Three species were identified: Botryosphaeria dothidea , Neofusicoccum mediterraneum and Neofusicoccum parvum . Pathogenicity tests on detached fruits and potted plants showed that all three species were pathogenic. To our knowledge, this is the first report of these Botryosphaeriaceae species causing canker and dieback on English walnut in Italy.