Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Characterisation and pathogenicity of fungal species associated with branch cankers and stem-end rot of avocado in Italy

  • Published:
European Journal of Plant Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Branch cankers and stem-end rot are two of the most important threats to avocado production. During the autumn of 2013, sampling was conducted in the main avocado growing area in eastern Sicily to study the occurrence and establish the causal agents of branch canker and stem-end rot. A total of 94 fungal isolates, recovered from four avocado orchards, were identified by morphological characterisation, DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analyses as belonging to the genera Colletotrichum, Neofusicoccum or Diaporthe. The majority of the isolates were identified as Neofusicoccum parvum (70.2 %), with the remaining isolates being Colletotrichum gloeosporioides or C. fructicola (16 %), and Diaporthe foeniculacea or D. sterilis (13.8 %), respectively. Pathogenicity tests showed N. parvum was the most virulent species (P = 0.05), whereas Diaporthe isolates were the least so. An intermediate virulence was observed for C. gloeosporioides and C. fructicola, which were associated only with stem-end rot of fruit. Regarding cultivar susceptibility of fruit to these pathogens, ‘Hass’ was more susceptible to infection by C. fructicola and D. foeniculacea compared with ‘Bacon’ whereas no significant differences were detected for the remaining pathogens. To our knowledge, this is the first account of the pathogens causing branch canker and stem-end rot of avocado in Italy, and the first studies comparing the relative virulence of each species involved.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adesemoye, A. O., & Eskalen, A. (2011). First report of Spencermartinsia viticola, Neofusicoccum australe, and N. parvum causing branch canker of citrus in California. Plant Disease, 95(6), 770.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aiello, D., Carrieri, R., Guarnaccia, V., Vitale, A., Lahoz, E., & Polizzi, G. (2015). Characterization and pathogenicity of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. karstii causing preharvest disease on Citrus sinensis in Italy. Journal of Phytopathology, 163(3), 168–177.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, J. M., Aitken, E. A. B., Dann, E. K., & Coates, L. M. (2013). Morphological and molecular diversity of Colletotrichum spp. causing pepper spot and anthracnose of lychee (Litchi chinensis) in Australia. Plant Pathology, 62(2), 279–288.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Annuario Statistico Regionale, Sicilia (2014). Agricoltura, Chapter 13 (http://pti.regione.sicilia.it).

  • Cannon, P. F., Damm, U., Johnston, P. R., & Weir, B. S. (2012). Colletotrichum – current status and future directions. Studies in Mycology, 73, 181–213.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Carbone, I., & Kohn, L. M. (1999). A method for designing primer sets for speciation studies in filamentous ascomycetes. Mycologia, 91(3), 553–556.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crous, P. W., Groenewald, J. Z., Risede, J. M., & Hywel-Jones, N. L. (2004). Calonectria species and their Cylindrocladium anamorphs: species with sphaeropedunculate vesicles. Studies in Mycology, 50, 415–430.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crous, P. W., Slippers, B., Wingfield, M. J., Rheeder, J., Marasas, W. F. O., Philips, A. J. L., et al. (2006). Phylogenetic lineages in the Botryosphaeriaceae. Studies in Mycology, 55, 235–253.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Dann, E. K., Cooke, A. W., Forsberg, L. I., Pegg, K. G., Tan, Y. P., & Shivas, R. G. (2012). Pathogenicity studies in avocado with three nectriaceous fungi, Calonectria ilicicola, Gliocladiopsis sp. and Ilyonectria liriodendri. Plant Pathology, 61(5), 896–902.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darvas, J. M., Kotzé, J. M., & Wehner, F. C. (1987). Pathogenicity of fungi causing pre- and postharvest diseases of avocado fruit. Phytophylactica, 19, 489–493.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eskalen, A., Faber, B., & Bianchi, M. (2013). Spore trapping and pathogenicity of fungi in the Botryosphaeriaceae and Diaporthaceae associated with avocado branch canker in California. Plant Disease, 97(3), 329–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glass, N. L., & Donaldson, G. C. (1995). Development of primer sets designed for use with the PCR to amplify conserved genes from filamentous ascomycetes. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 61(4), 1323–1330.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gomes, R. R., Glienke, C., Videira, S. I. R., Lombard, L., Groenewald, J. Z., & Crous, P. W. (2013). Diaporthe: a genus of endophytic, saprobic and plant pathogenic fungi. Persoonia, 31, 1–41.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Grasso, F. M., Marini, M., Vitale, A., Firrao, G., & Granata, G. (2012). Canker and dieback on Platanus x acerifolia caused by Diaporthe scabra. Forest Pathology, 42(6), 510–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartill, W. F. T., & Everett, K. R. (2002). Inoculum sources and infection pathways of pathogens causing stem-end rots of ‘Hass’ avocados. New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 30(4), 249–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ismail, A. M., Cirvilleri, G., Lombard, L., Crous, P. W., Groenewald, J. Z., & Polizzi, G. (2013). Characterisation of Neofusicoccum species causing mango dieback in Italy. Journal of Plant Pathology, 95(3), 549–557.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ismail, A. M., Cirvilleri, G., & Polizzi, G. (2012a). Characterisation and pathogenicity of Pestalotiopsis uvicola and Pestalotiopsis clavispora causing grey leaf spot of mango (Mangifera indica L.) in Italy. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 135(4), 619–625.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ismail, A. M., Cirvilleri, G., Polizzi, G., Crous, P. W., Groenewald, J. Z., & Lombard, L. (2012b). Lasiodiplodia species associated with dieback disease of mango (Mangifera indica) in Egypt. Australasian Plant Pathology, 41(6), 649–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ismail, A. M., Cirvilleri, G., Yaseen, T., Epifani, F., Perrone, G., & Polizzi, G. (2015). Characterisation of Colletotrichum species causing anthracnose disease of mango in Italy. Journal of Plant Pathology, 97(1), 167–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lombard, L., Polizzi, G., Guarnaccia, V., Vitale, A., & Crous, P. W. (2011). Calonectria spp. causing leaf spot, crown and root rot of ornamental plants in Tunisia. Persoonia, 27, 73–79.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lombard, L., van Leeuwen, G. C. M., Guarnaccia, V., Polizzi, G., van Rijswick, P. C. J., Rosendahl, K. C. H. M., et al. (2014). Diaporthe species associated with Vaccinium, with specific reference to Europe. Phytopathologia Mediterranea, 53(2), 85–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, V., & Eskalen, A. (2011). Botryosphaeriaceae species associated with avocado branch cankers in California. Plant Disease, 95(11), 1465–1473.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, V., Lynch, S., & Eskalen, A. (2009). First report of Neofusicoccum australe, N. luteum, and N. parvum associated with avocado branch canker in California. Plant Disease, 93(9), 967.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menge, J., & Ploetz, R. C. (2003). Diseases of avocado. In R. C. Ploetz (Ed.), Diseases of tropical fruit crops (pp. 35–71). Wallingford, UK: CABI Publishing.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • O’Donnell, K., & Cigelnik, E. (1997). Two divergent intragenomic rDNA ITS2 types within a monophyletic lineage of the fungus Fusarium are non orthologous. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 7(1), 103–116.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Jiménez, R. M. (2008). Significant avocado diseases caused by fungi and oomycetes. The European Journal of Plant Science and Biotechnology, 2(1), 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, A. J. L., Alves, A., Abdollahzadeh, J., Slippers, B., Wingfield, M. J., Groenewald, J. Z., et al. (2013). The Botryosphaeriaceae: genera and species known from culture. Studies in Mycology, 76(1), 51–167.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Phoulivong, S., Cai, L., Chen, H., McKenzie, E. H. C., Abdelsalam, K., Chukeatirote, E., et al. (2010). Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is not a common pathogen on tropical fruits. Fungal Diversity, 44(1), 33–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ploetz, R. C., Zentmyer, G. A., Nishijima, W. T., Rohrbach, K. G., & Ohr, H. D. (1994). Compendium of tropical fruit diseases (118 pp). St Paul, Minnesota, USA: American Phytopathological Society.

  • Polizzi, G., Vitale, A., Aiello, D., Guarnaccia, V., Crous, P. W., & Lombard, L. (2012). First report of Calonectria ilicicola causing a new disease on laurus (Laurus nobilis) in Europe. Journal of Phytopathology, 160(1), 41–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prihastuti, H., Cai, L., Chen, H., McKenzie, E. H. C., & Hyde, K. D. (2009). Characterisation of Colletotrichum species associated with coffee berries in northern Thailand. Fungal Diversity, 39(1), 89–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saitou, N., & Nei, M. (1987). The neighbor-joining method: a new method for reconstructing phylogenetic trees. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 4(4), 406–425.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, H., Wingfield, M. J., Crous, P. W., & Coutinho, T. A. (1996). Sphaeropsis sapinea and Botryosphaeria dothidea endophytic in Pinus spp. and Eucalyptus spp. in South Africa. South African Journal of Botany, 62(2), 86–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tamura, K., Stecher, G., Peterson, D., Filipski, A., & Kumar, S. (2013). MEGA6: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis version 6.0. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 30(12), 2725–2729.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Twizeyimana, M., Förster, H., McDonald, V., Wang, D. H., Adaskaveg, J. E., & Eskalen, A. (2013). Identification and pathogenicity of fungal pathogens associated with stem-end rot of avocado in California. Plant Disease, 97(12), 1580–1584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Udayanga, D., Liu, X. Z., Crous, P. W., Mckenzie, E. H. C., Chukeatirote, E., & Hyde, K. D. (2012). A multilocus phylogenetic evaluation of Diaporthe (Phomopsis). Fungal Diversity, 56(1), 157–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Udayanga, D., Manamgoda, D. S., Liu, X., Chukeatirote, E., Hyde, & D., K. (2013). What are the common anthracnose pathogens of tropical fruits? Fungal Diversity, 61(1), 165–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urbez-Torres, J. R., Leavitt, G. M., Voegel, T. M., & Gubler, W. D. (2006). Identification and distribution of Botryosphaeria spp. associated with grapevine cankers in California. Plant Disease, 90(12), 1490–1503.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valencia, A. L., Torres, R., & Latorre, B. A. (2011). First report of Pestalotiopsis clavispora and Pestalotiopsis spp. causing postharvest stem-end rot of avocado in Chile. Plant Disease, 95(4), 492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Velho, A. C., Alaniz, S., Casanova, L., Mondino, P., & Stadnik, M. J. (2015). New insights into the characterization of Colletotrichum species associated with apple diseases in southern Brazil and Uruguay. Fungal Biology, 119(4), 229–244.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vitale, A., Aiello, D., Guarnaccia, V., Perrone, G., Stea, G., & Polizzi, G. (2012). First report of root rot caused by Ilyonectria (=Neonectria) macrodidyma on avocado (Persea americana) in Italy. Journal of Phytopathology, 160(3), 156–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitale, A., Castello, D., D’Emilio, A., Mazzarella, R., Perrone, G., Epifani, F., et al. (2013a). Short-term effects of soil solarization in suppressing Calonectria microsclerotia. Plant and Soil, 368(1–2), 603–617.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vitale, A., Crous, P. W., Lombard, L., & Polizzi, G. (2013b). Calonectria diseases on ornamental plants in Europe and the Mediterranean basin: an overview. Journal of Plant Pathology, 95(3), 463–476.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weir, B. S., Johnston, P. R., & Damm, U. (2012). The Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex. Studies in Mycology, 73(1), 115–180.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • White, T. J., Bruns, T., Lee, S., & Taylor, J. W. (1990). Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics. In M. A. Innis, D. H. Gelfand, J. J. Sninsky, & T. J. White (Eds.), PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications (pp. 315–322). San Diego, California, USA: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zea-Bonilla, T., Gonzalez-Sanchez, M. A., Martin-Sanchez, P. M., & Perez-Jimenez, R. M. (2007). Avocado dieback caused by Neofusicoccum parvum in the Andalucia region, Spain. Plant Disease, 91(8), 1052.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123, Catania, Italy

    Vladimiro Guarnaccia, Alessandro Vitale, Gabriella Cirvilleri, Dalia Aiello & Giancarlo Polizzi

  2. Istituto di Scienze delle Produzioni Alimentari, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (ISPA-CNR), Istituto di Scienze delle Produzioni Alimentari, 70126, Bari, Italy

    Antonia Susca, Filomena Epifani & Giancarlo Perrone

Authors
  1. Vladimiro Guarnaccia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alessandro Vitale
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gabriella Cirvilleri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Dalia Aiello
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Antonia Susca
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Filomena Epifani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Giancarlo Perrone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Giancarlo Polizzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alessandro Vitale.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Guarnaccia, V., Vitale, A., Cirvilleri, G. et al. Characterisation and pathogenicity of fungal species associated with branch cankers and stem-end rot of avocado in Italy. Eur J Plant Pathol 146, 963–976 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-016-0973-z

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-016-0973-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation