A new disease of Erica arborea in Italy caused by Neofusicoccum luteum

Authors :: Benedetto LINALDEDDU
Bruno SCANU
Salvatore SEDDAIU
Antonio DEIDDA
Lucia MADDAU
Antonio FRANCESCHINI
Source :: Phytopathologia Mediterranea, Vol 54, Iss 1 (2015)
Publication Year :: 2015
Publisher :: Firenze University Press, 2015.
Abstract: Shoot blight was observed on Erica arborea L., in a natural growing area on Caprera Island (Italy), during 2011 and 2012. Fungal isolates obtained from 324 symptomatic shoots were identified as Neofusicoccum luteum by analysis of morphological and cultural characteristics, as well as DNA sequence data of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) of the ribosomal DNA and part of the translation Elongation Factor 1-alpha (EF-1α) gene. Pathogenicity of the fungus was verified by stem inoculation of 3-year-old seedlings of E. arborea. This is the first report of N. luteum as a pathogen of E. arborea.