0000000000424108
AUTHOR
S. O. Cacciola
Phytophthora taxon niederhauserii, a New Root and Crown Rot Pathogen of Banksia spp. in Italy
In the last 10 years, various species of Banksia (family Proteaceae) endemic to Australia have been introduced into Italy where cultivation as flower plants is expanding. In the spring of 2003, a decline associated with root and basal stem rot of 2- to 3-year-old plants of Banksia speciosa R. Br., B. baxteri R. Br., and B. prionotes Lindl. grown in the ground was observed in a commercial nursery in Liguria (northern Italy). Aboveground symptoms included leaf chlorosis and wilt. Plants collapsed within 1 to 2 weeks after the appearance of leaf symptoms. A Phytophthora species was consistently isolated from roots and basal stem on BNPRAH selective medium (3). On V8 juice agar (V8A), axenic c…
First report of neofusicoccum batangarum as causal agent of scabby cankers of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) in minor islands of sicily
Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica, Cactaceae), native to Mexico, is a multipurpose crop. About 90% of Italian production of cactus pear fruit is from Sicily. In 2013, a disease of cactus pear was noticed in minor islands of Sicily, Lampedusa and Linosa (Pelagie archipelago), Favignana (Aegadian archipelago), and Ustica, where cactus pear is grown as living fences. Symptoms were on flattened stems functioning as leaves (cladodes) and included radially expanding cankers, up to 20 cm in diameter, concentric, crusty, silvery areas, with minute, black dots (pycnidia erumpent from epidermis) and a leathery, brown halo. A milky to buff colored exudate, caking on contact with air, oozed from active…