Transposon tagging in the causal agent of olive anthracnose Colletotrichum sp

First Report of Southern Blight Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii on Hemp (Cannabis sativa) in Sicily and Southern Italy

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), family Cannabaceae, is an annual herbaceous plant that is 1.5 to 4.0 m tall and native to the Caucasus Region, northern India, and Iran. It is cultivated in warm to temperate regions worldwide for its fiber, oil, and psychoactive substances. In Europe, commercial plantings have decreased from 52,872 ha in 1989 to 18,716 ha in 2005. Recently however, cultivation of hemp as a natural fiber species has been encouraged by European Union policy (2). During the summer of 2003, patches of dead plants were observed in test plots of 12 monoecious and dioecious hemp cultivars (Beniko, Epsylon 68, Felina 34, Ferimon, Fedora 17, Futura 75, Bialobrzeskie, Dioica 88, Fibranova…

Un focolaio di cancro basale gommoso causato da Phytophthora pseudosyringae nel Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo

Il marciume radicale da Phytophthora nei vivai di piante ornamentali.

Root and Foot Rot of Lantana Caused by Phytophthora cryptogea

Lantana (Lantana camara L.) is an evergreen shrub in the Verbenaceae. In some countries, this plant has been declared a noxious weed. However, a number of sterile or near-sterile forms are cultivated as attractive flowered potted and garden plants. In early spring 2004, ≈4,000 potted, small trees of lantana grown in a screenhouse in a commercial nursery of ornamentals near Giarre, Sicily, showed symptoms of chlorosis, defoliation, and sudden collapse of the entire plant. These aboveground symptoms were associated with a reduced root system, rot of feeder roots, and brown discoloration of the base of the stem. A Phytophthora sp. was isolated consistently from roots and basal stems of sympto…

First report of Phytophthora palmivora as a pathogen of olive in Italy

Olive (Olea europea L.) is an economically important crop in Italy and is planted on about 1 million ha. The Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily regions of Southern Italy account for about 70% of the production. Many new plantations have been established during the last 10 years. In summer 1999, 1- to 2-year-old olive trees (cv. Carolea) with decline symptoms were observed in new plantations in Catanzaro Province (Calabria). The symptoms associated with the root rot were leaf chlorosis, defoliation, wilting, twig dieback, and eventual plant collapse. In some cases, more than 40% of the trees were affected. A Phytophthora sp. was isolated consistently from rotted rootlets of diseased trees using a…

Bud and heart rot of fox tail Agave (Agave attenuata) caused by Phytophthora asparagi

First Report of Bud Rot of Canary Island Date Palm Caused by Phytophthora palmivora in Italy.

Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis hort. ex Chabaud) is planted as an ornamental in Mediterranean climatic regions of the world. From 2004 to 2006, withering of the spear leaf was observed on screenhouse-grown potted plants of this palm in Sicily (Italy). The first symptom was a dark brown rot that extended from the petiole base of the spear to the adjacent youngest leaves and killed the bud. Dissection of plants revealed a foul-smelling internal rot. After the bud died, external older leaves remained green for months. As much as 10% of plants in a single nursery were affected. A Phytophthora species was consistently isolated from symptomatic plants on BNPRAH selective medium (4)…

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 Armillaria Butt Rot Caused by Armillaria mellea on Phoenix canariensis in Italy.

During 2006, in a garden in the Mount Etna Piedmont, eastern Sicily (Italy), a 40-year-old specimen of Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis hort. ex Chabaud) with a trunk circumference at breast height of 220 cm showed a rotted lesion with a viscous, brown ooze at the stem base and root initials. The lesion extended to approximately one-third of the trunk circumference. Trunk excavation exposed a wet rot of internal tissues, a cream-colored mycelial mat, and a mushroom-like smell. Although the rot spread inward (approximately 25 cm deep) with decay of nonlignified ground tissues and blackening of wood fibers, the palm did not show symptoms on the canopy. Conversely, ferns, apricot,…

Phytophthora Diversity in a Sentinel Arboretum and in a Nature Reserve Area

Most soilborne Phytophthora species are invasive plant pathogens and nursery plants for transplanting are considered a primary pathway for the introduction of exotic Phytophthora species into plant diversity conservation areas and sites. As a preliminary step toward investigating this subject, we compared the diversity of Phytophthora in the protected natural area Complesso Speleologico Villasmundo S. Alfio Nature Reserve (NR) (Melilli, Siracusa) and the botanical garden (BG) of the University of Catania (Catania), in eastern Sicily (southern Italy). Sampling was carried out during the spring of 2019. Overall 29 rhizosphere soil samples were collected, 17 from different types of vegetation …

Phytophthora species causing crown and root rot of tomato in southern Italy

Phytophthora capsici, Phytophthora cryptogea and Phytophthora nicotianae were isolated from tomato plants with symptoms of crown and root rot in plastic-house crops in Sicilia and Calabria (southern Italy). The species were identified primarily on the basis of morphological and cultural characteristics. The identification was confirmed using molecular methods, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of mycelial proteins and polymorphism of DNA sequences amplified by polymerase chain reaction using random primers (RAPD-PCR). P. capsici caused significant losses in tomato crops that had succeeded capsicum crops. P. cryptogea was found to be the most frequent species causing basal stem rot o…

Diversity and distribution of Phytophthora species in protected natural areas in Sicily

: The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence, diversity, and distribution of Phytophthora species in Protected Natural Areas (PNAs), including forest stands, rivers, and riparian ecosystems, in Sicily (Italy), and assessing correlations with natural vegetation and host plants. Fifteen forest stands and 14 rivers in 10 Sicilian PNAs were studied. Phytophthora isolations from soil and stream water were performed using leaf baitings. Isolates were identified using both morphological characters and sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. A rich community of 20 Phytophthora species from eight phylogenetic clades, including three new Phytophthora taxa, was …

First Report of Armillaria mellea on a Fern from Italy

Several perennial species of rhizomatous herbaceous ferns are cultivated as ornamental foliage plants. During late summer 1999, in a garden at the foot of Mount Etna, eastern Sicily (Italy), we noted a fern hedge showing patches of withered or stunted plants. The fern was identified as Cyrtomium falcatum (L.f.) C. Presl. (=Polystichum falcatum (L.f.) Diels), a house holly fern or Japanese holly fern, which is an ornamental fern native to East and South Asia. Other woody plants in the immediate vicinity had died over the last few years, including apricot and cedar trees whose stumps had not been removed. A close examination of uprooted ferns revealed the presence of creamy white fan-shaped …

First report of root and crown rot of sage caused by Phytophthora cryptogea in Italy

Sages are cultivated as aromatic and ornamental plants in Italy and represent the common name of certain species of Salvia and Phlomis (family Lamiaceae). In Sicily (southern Italy) during the summer of 2001, ≈40% of 1,400 2-year-old landscape plants of S. leucantha Cav. (Mexican bush sage or velvet sage) showed symptoms of stunting, chlorosis, and gradual dieback or sudden wilt, which are associated with root and crown rot. Plants were supplied by a commercial nursery, transplanted from pots in the spring, and irrigated using a trickle system. Phytophthora was isolated consistently from roots and basal stems of symptomatic plants on a BNPRAH medium (2). The species was identified as P. cr…

Race 1,2y of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis on Muskmelon in Sicily

Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) is very important economically to agriculture in Italy. The Sicily area accounts for ≈40% of the total muskmelon production. Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis (Leach & Currence) W.C. Snyder & H.N. Hans. is the most prevalent and damaging disease of muskmelon in Sicily. Use of cultivars with major resistance genes, Fom 1 and Fom 2, is the most effective control measure for combating the disease. During March 1999, severe infections of Fusarium wilt were noted in a commercial muskmelon crop, cv. Firmo F1, grown in plastic tunnels in Syracuse Province (eastern Sicily). The muskmelon seedlings had been transplanted into the tunnels du…

Natural Biostimulants Elicit Plant Immune System in an Integrated Management Strategy of the Postharvest Green Mold of Orange Fruits Incited by Penicillium digitatum

This study was aimed at testing the integrated use of a natural biostimulant based on seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) and plant (alfalfa and sugarcane) extracts and reduced dosages of the conventional synthetic fungicide Imazalil (IMZ) to manage postharvest rots of orange fruits. The following aspects were investigated: (i) the effectiveness of postharvest treatment with natural biostimulant alone or in mixture with IMZ at a reduced dose against green mold caused byPenicillium digitatum; (ii) the differential expression of defense genes in orange fruits treated with the natural biostimulant both alone and in combination with a reduced dose of IMZ; (iii) the persistence of the inhibitory activ…

Callistemon citrinus and Cistus salvifolius, Two New Hosts of Phytophthora taxon niederhauserii in Italy.

Bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus (Curtis.) Skeels., Myrtaceae) and rock rose (Cistus salvifolius L., Cistaceae) are evergreen shrubs native to Australia and the Mediterranean Region, respectively. In the spring of 2003, approximately 2% of a nursery stock of 12-month-old potted plants of C. citrinus and 8% of a nursery stock of 12-month-old potted plants of Cistus salvifolius grown in the same nursery in Sicily, showed symptoms of leaf chlorosis, defoliation, and wilt associated with root and collar rot. A Phytophthora species was consistently isolated from roots and basal stems on BNPRAH selective medium (2). One isolate from rock rose (IMI 391708) and one from bottlebrush (IMI 391712) w…

Bot gummosis of lemon (Citrus × limon) caused by neofusicoccum parvum

Neofusicoccum parvum, in the family Botryosphaeriaceae, was identified as the causal agent of bot gummosis of lemon (Citrus × limon) trees, in the two major lemon-producing regions in Italy. Gummy cankers on trunk and scaffold branches of mature trees were the most typical disease symptoms. Neofusicoccum parvum was the sole fungus constantly and consistently isolated from the canker bark of symptomatic lemon trees. It was identified on the basis of morphological characters and the phylogenetic analysis of three loci, i.e., the internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS) as well as the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1) and β-tubulin (TUB2) genes. The pathogenicity o…

First Report of Botrytis Blight on Medinilla magnifica and Various Species of Mandevilla and Allamanda in Italy.

Medinilla magnifica Lindl., Mandevilla splendens (Hook.) Woodson, the hybrid Mandevilla × amoena ‘Alice du Pont’ (pink allamanda), and various species of Allamanda, such as A. cathartica L. and A. blanchetii A. DC. (purple allamanda), are grown in Sicily as ornamentals. After a frost in early December 2001, a sudden wilt of container-grown cuttings of these tropical species was observed in a plastic-covered production greenhouse, with ≈30% of M. magnifica plants and 70% of Mandevilla and Allamanda plants affected. Medinilla plants (≈35 cm high) had been rooted in trays and transplanted individually in 30-cm-diameter pots. Allamanda (recently rooted cuttings) and Mandevilla (well-establishe…

Phytophthora Root and Collar Rot of Paulownia, a New Disease for Europe

Paulownia species are fast growing trees native to China, which are being grown in managed plantings in several European countries for the production of wood and biomasses. In 2018, wilting, stunting, leaf yellowing, and collapse, as a consequence of root and crown rot, were observed in around 40% of trees of a 2-year-old planting of Paulownia elongata × P. fortunei in Calabria (Southern Italy). Two species of Phytophthora were consistently recovered from roots, basal stem bark, and rhizosphere soil of symptomatic trees and were identified as Ph. nicotianae and Ph. palmivora on the basis of both morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of rDNA ITS sequences. Koch’s postulates…

A randomized comparison of endometrial laser intrauterine thermotherapy and hysteroscopic endometrial resection.

Objective To investigate the difference of long-term amenorrhea rate in patients with menorrhagia treated by endometrial laser intrauterine thermal therapy (ELITT), a new nonhysteroscopic endometrial ablation procedure, versus transcervical hysteroscopic endometrial resection (TCRE). Design Randomized clinical study. Healthy volunteers in an academic research environment. Setting Academic teaching hospital. Patient(s) Premenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding. Intervention(s) Fifty-eight patients were treated with the ELITT procedure and 58 patients with TCRE; both groups were treated with GnRH agonists before the procedure. Main outcome measure(s) Bleeding status and patient satis…

Inhibitory Activity of Shrimp Waste Extracts on Fungal and Oomycete Plant Pathogens

(1) Background: This study was aimed at determining the in vitro inhibitory effect of new natural substances obtained by minimal processing from shrimp wastes on fungi and oomycetes in the genera Alternaria, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Penicillium, Plenodomus and Phytophthora

Phytophthora species on ornamental plants in Italy

First Report of Phytophthora spp. as Pathogens of Pandorea jasminoides in Italy

In the summer of 2005, approximately 5% of a nursery stock of 12-month-old potted plants of bower vine (Pandorea jasminoides (Lindl.) K. Schum.) in Sicily (Italy) showed wilt, leaf chlorosis, defoliation, root rot, and collapse of the entire plant. Three Phytophthora spp. (20, 50, and 30% of the isolations of the first, second, and third species, respectively) were isolated from rotted roots on BNPRAH selective medium (2). Single-hypha isolates of the first species formed petaloid colonies on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and had an optimum growth temperature of 25°C (9.3 mm/day); on V8 juice agar, they produced uni- and bipapillate, ovoid to limoniform sporangia with mean dimensions of 45 × …

First report of Phytophthora palmivora on Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca in Italy

The genus Coronilla L. (family Fabaceae), which includes several species native to central and southern Europe, such as C. varia L. (axseed or crown-vetch), C. emerus (scorpion senna), and C. valentina L., is used in Italy as a landscape shrub or potted ornamental plant. During the summer of 2001, 80% of approximately 10,000 1-year-old plants of C. valentina subsp. glauca (L.) Batt. used to landscape an industrial area in the Caltanissetta Province (Sicily) showed symptoms of dieback associated with basal stem and root rot. Plants had been transplanted from pots in April and watered using a trickle irrigation system. A species of Phytophthora was isolated consistently from rotted roots and…

Blight Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii on Potted Ornamental Citrus in Sicily.

Approximately 140,000 container-grown ornamental citrus plants are produced each year in the province of Catania (eastern Sicily). In the spring of 2006, a severe blight was observed in a commercial nursery in Catania on 2-month-old rooted cuttings of lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm.) and calamondin (× Citrofortunella mitis (Blanco) J. W. Ingram & H. E. Moore). Approximately 80% of the nursery stock of 2,000 cuttings was affected. Cuttings were grown in 7.5-cm2 pots made with compressed peat and wood pulp at 28 to 30°C with 95 to 100% relative humidity on benches in a greenhouse, The pot mix was composed of peat, perlite, and soil (2:1:2). Cuttings showed a dark brown necrotic lesion at …

Blight of English Ivy (Hedera helix) caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Sicily

English ivy, Hedera helix L. (Araliaceae), an evergreen climbing vine is widely cultivated as an ornamental and foliage plant. In the summer of 2005, a severe blight of ivy plants trained as topiaries and grown in an open field was observed in a nursery near Giarre (eastern Sicily). Foliage of infected plants appeared lighter green and progressively turned bronze and withered. Eventually, the entire plant collapsed. Foliar symptoms were associated with basal stem and root rot. White, cottony mycelium and numerous sclerotia developed externally on the lower stem and on the soil around the affected plants. The disease was randomly distributed, affecting approximately 5% of plants in a stock …

Root and Basal Stem Rot of Rose Caused by Phytophthora citrophthora in Italy

Approximately 800 ha of cut flower roses are cultivated for commercial production in Italy. During autumn of 2004 in an experimental greenhouse in western Sicily (southern Italy), 60% of 2-year-old plants of rose cv. Red France on Rosa indica cv. Major rootstock grown in soil showed leaf chlorosis and wilt. A dark brown lesion lined by a water-soaked area was noticeable at the stem base near the soil surface. Root rot was found consistently associated with aboveground symptoms and plants collapsed within 4 months after the appearance of the first symptoms. The same symptoms were observed sporadically on rose plants of the same cultivar during the last 6 years in commercial nurseries in wes…

A new approach in the monitoring of the phytosanitary conditions of forests: the case of oak and beech stands in the Sicilian Regional Parks.

The objective of this study was to investigate the health conditions of oak and beech stands in the three Regional Parks of Sicily (Etna, Madonie and Nebrodi). A total of 81 sampling areas were investigated, 54 in oak stands and 27 in beech stands. The phytosanitary conditions of each tree within the respective sampling area was expressed with a synthetic index namely phytosanitary class (PC). Oak stands showed severe symptoms of decline, with 85% of the sampling areas including symptomatic trees. In general, beech stands were in better condition, with the exception of Nebrodi Park, where trees showed severe symptoms of decline. On oak trees, infections of fungal pathogens were also observe…

First report of postharvest fruit rot caused by fusarium sacchari on lady finger banana in Italy

Efficacia del Valifenalate contro specie terricole di Phytophthora patogene di piante ornamentali

I risultati confermano che il valifenalate su piante erbacee e arbustive è un prodotto sistemico e dimostrano che questo p.a., proposto come antiperonosporico, può essere efficace anche contro i marciumi radicali di piante ornamentali causate da specie terricole di Phytophthora.

First report of brown rot and wilt of fennel caused by Phytophthora megasperma in Italy

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill. var. azoricum (Mill.) Thell.) in the Apiaceae family is native to southern Europe and southwestern Asia. It is an economically important crop in Italy that produces approximately 85% of all fennel worldwide. The main producing regions are Apulia, Campania, Latium, and Calabria. During the late winter of 2004 in the Crotone Province of the Calabria Region, following heavy rains, patches of fennel plants with symptoms of brown, soft rot of the bulb-like structure formed by the thickened leaf bases, development of yellow leaves, stunting, and wilting of the entire plant were observed in fields. A homothallic Phytophthora sp. was isolated consistently from the …

Il marciume radicale da Phytophthora: un problema emergente nei vivai di piante ornamentali

Twig and Shoot Dieback of Citrus, a New Disease Caused by Colletotrichum Species

(1) Background: This study was aimed at identifying the Colletotrichum species associated with twig and shoot dieback of citrus, a new syndrome occurring in the Mediterranean region and also reported as emerging in California. (2) Methods: Overall, 119 Colletotrichum isolates were characterized. They were recovered from symptomatic trees of sweet orange, mandarin and mandarin-like fruits during a survey of citrus groves in Albania and Sicily (southern Italy). (3) Results: The isolates were grouped into two distinct morphotypes. The grouping of isolates was supported by phylogenetic sequence analysis of two genetic markers, the internal transcribed spacer regions of rDNA (ITS) and β-tubulin …

A new Phytophthora sp causing a basal canker on beech in Italy.

In autumn 2001, bleeding cankers were observed on the basal portion of the trunk of a declining tree in a forest stand of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Latium (central Italy). A Phytophthora sp. was isolated consistently from infected trunk bark using whole apples as bait. Isolations were made from brown lesions that developed in the apple pulp around the inserted bark pieces. Pure cultures were obtained by using hyphal tip transfers. Colonies were stellate on V8 juice agar (V8A), uniform to slightly radiate on cornmeal agar, and cottony, without a distinct growth pattern on potato dextrose agar (PDA). On V8A, radial growth rates were 2.1, 4.8, and 4.5 mm/day at 10, 15, and 20°C, …

First report of Phytophthora citrophthora causing fruit brown rot of Feijoa in Italy

Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana) is native to South America. In the early 20th Century it was introduced into Sicily (southern Italy), where it is grown as an ornamental plant and for its fruits. In 1985 a Phytophthora brown rot of feijoa fruits was reported in the province of Syracuse (eastern Sicily) (2). Several species of Phytophthora, including P. citricola, P. citrophthora, and P. nicotianae, were recovered from soil samples taken from trees with infected fruits. These species were experimentally inoculated on detached feijoa fruits and all incited symptoms of brown rot. However, only P. citricola was isolated from naturally infected fruits. In early autumn 1999, an outbreak of Phytophthor…

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…