scholarly journals Distribution of stem-end rot on the canopy in ‘Hass’ avocado trees in two coastal areas in Peru

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-70
Author(s):  
Alejandro Kepler Llanos Melo ◽  
Walter Eduardo Apaza-Tapia

Stem-end rot (SER) of avocado is caused by several fungal species, and it is presented worldwide. This plant disease currently affects several avocado producer regions in Peru, causing fruit rot, impacting the industry negatively. Research about SER distribution in the canopy of avocado trees is limited. Thus, the present study aimed to compare which areas in the canopy are prone to have more SER in ‘Hass’ avocado harvested fruit in two different coastal areas in Peru. The experiment was conducted in the northern (Barranca) and southern (Cañete) of Lima. ‘Hass’Avocado fruits from both producer areas were collected to identify the causal agent; Lasiodiplodia theobromae was isolated from infected fruits. Identification was conducted based on morphological features and a partial DNA sequence of the translation elongation factor 1-α gene (tef1-α). The results showed that fruits inside the tree canopy were prone to have a higher disease incidence than the fruits located in the external site (P<0.001). Besides, internal-site fruits displayed a higher percentage of infected fruit for each grade disease (P<0.001) than external-site fruits, except for grade 0 (fruits without symptoms) and grade 1. Finally, the results suggested that the altitude where the fruit is positioned on the canopy could influence the incidence of SER, where fruits located in the high part revealed less incidence than the low section. The results are valuable for enhancing management strategies and avoiding postharvest loss of avocado fruits in our region.

Plant Disease ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangmin Hao ◽  
Quanyu Zang ◽  
Weihong Ding ◽  
Erlei Ma ◽  
Yunping Huang ◽  
...  

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, an important economical and horticultural crop, which is widely grown in China. In May 2020, fruit rot disease with water-soaked lesions and pink molds on cantaloupe melons was observed in several greenhouses with 50% disease incidence in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province in China. In order to know the causal agent, diseased fruits were cut into pieces, surface sterilized for 1 min with 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), 2 min with 75% ethyl alcohol, rinsed in sterile distilled water three times (Zhou et al. 2018), and then placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium amended with streptomycin sulfate (100 μg/ml) plates at 25°C for 4 days. The growing hyphae were transferred to new PDA plates using the hyphal tip method, putative Fusarium colonies were purified by single-sporing. Twenty-five fungal isolates were obtained and formed red colonies with white aerial mycelia at 25°C for 7 days, which were identified as Fusarium isolates based on the morphological characteristics and microscopic examination. The average radial mycelial growth rate of Fusarium isolate Fa-25 was 11.44 mm/day at 25°C in the dark on PDA. Macroconidia were stout with curved apical and basal cells, usually with 4 to 6 septa, and 29.5 to 44.2 × 3.7 to 5.2 μm on Spezieller Nährstoffarmer agar (SNA) medium at 25°C for 10 days (Leslie and Summerell 2006). To identify the species, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and translational elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α) gene of the isolates were amplified and cloned. ITS and TEF1-α was amplified using primers ITS1/ITS4 and EF1/EF2 (O’Donnell et al. 1998), respectively. Sequences of ITS (545 bp, GenBank Accession No. MT811812) and TEF1-α (707 bp, GenBank Acc. No. MT856659) for isolate Fa-25 were 100% and 99.72% identical to those of F. asiaticum strains MSBL-4 (ITS, GenBank Acc. MT322117.1) and Daya350-3 (TEF1-α, GenBank Acc. KT380124.1) in GenBank, respectively. A phylogenetic tree was established based on the TEF1-α sequences of Fa-25 and other Fusarium spp., and Fa-25 was clustered with F. asiaticum. Thus, both morphological and molecular characterizations supported the isolate as F. asiaticum. To confirm the pathogenicity, mycelium agar plugs (6 mm in diameter) removed from the colony margin of a 2-day-old culture of strain Fa-25 were used to inoculate melon fruits. Before inoculation, healthy melon fruits were selected, soaked in 2% NaClO solution for 2 min, and washed in sterile water. After wounding the melon fruits with a sterile needle, the fruits were inoculated by placing mycelium agar plugs on the wounds, and mock inoculation with mycelium-free PDA plugs was used as control. Five fruits were used in each treatment. The inoculated and mock-inoculated fruits were incubated at 25°C with high relative humidity. Symptoms were observed on all inoculated melon fruits 10 days post inoculation, which were similar to those naturally infected fruits, whereas the mock-inoculated fruits remained symptomless. The fungus re-isolated from the diseased fruits resembled colony morphology of the original isolate. The experiment was conducted three times and produced the same results. To our knowledge, this is the first report of fruit rot of melon caused by F. asiaticum in China.


2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Baiti Abd Murad ◽  
Nor Azizah Kusai ◽  
Nur Ain Izzati Mohd Zainudin

Abstract Fruit rot of tomato is a serious disease caused by Fusarium species. Sampling was conducted throughout Selangor, Malaysia and fungal species identification was conducted based on morphological and gene encoding translation elongation factor 1-α (tef1-α) sequence analysis. Five species of Fusarium were discovered namely F. oxysporum (including F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici), F. solani, F. equiseti, F. proliferatum and F. verticillioides. Our results provide additional information regarding the diversity of Fusarium species associated with fruit rot disease of tomato.


Plant Disease ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 83 (11) ◽  
pp. 1073-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Adaskaveg ◽  
H. Förster ◽  
J. H. Connell

A fruit rot of almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. Webb.) was observed in an orchard in Durham, CA (Butte County), in June of 1998 after an unusually wet spring with a total precipitation of 17.2 cm for April and May. Disease incidence on fully developed fruit of almond cv. Sonora was nearly 90% in the lower tree canopy by July. Almond cv. Nonpareil grown in alternate rows in the same orchard was much less affected. Fruit symptoms included extensive grayish brown discolored and shriveled hulls, often associated with a clear gum secretion and shriveled kernels. Affected fruit frequently abscised. Leaf symptoms and branch dieback were not associated with the disease in 1998. In May of 1999, however, extensive twig dieback was observed on almond cv. Sonora in the same orchard. Isolations from more than 100 symptomatic fruit were conducted from 9 sampling sites in the 9-ha orchard. Based on morphological characteristics, the same fungus was isolated from 93% of the fruit. The fungus also was isolated consistently from samples exhibiting twig dieback. During a major disease survey conducted in 1998, the fungus was only incidentally isolated from almond fruit from other California orchards. Ascomata were not observed in vivo or in vitro. The fungus produced alpha and beta spores in pycnidia when cultured on potato dextrose agar. Spore measurements were obtained from 10 spores for each of 3 isolates obtained from fruit or twig dieback of almond cv. Sonora. Conidial dimensions of fruit and twig isolates were very similar. Based on spore sizes, with alpha spores measuring 5.3 to 7.5 (to 8) × 1.7 to 2.5 μm and beta spores measuring12.8 to 29.8 × 0.6 to 0.7 μm, the fungus was tentatively identified as Phomopsis amygdali (Del.) Tuset & Portilla (2). Previous reports on this fungus (2), however, indicated that beta spores are not produced in culture, and disease symptoms have not been observed on fruit. The fungus was morphologically different from other species of Phomopsis reported from almond and other Prunus species, including P. mali Roberts, P. padina (Sacc. & Roum.) Died., P. parabolica Petrak, P. perniciosa Grove, P. pruni (Ellis & Dearn.) Wehm., P. prunorum (Cooke) Grove, P. ribetejana Camara, and P. stipata (Lib.) Sutton (3). Field inoculation studies were performed in May of 1999 on almond cvs. Carmel and Mission. Almond fruit were wounded (2 × 2 × 2 mm) or left unwounded and were sprayed with water (control) or a suspension of alpha spores (105 spores per ml). Branches were bagged for 4 days to maintain high humidity. Fruit symptoms on cv. Carmel were observed after 4 weeks on wounded and nonwounded inoculated fruit, and P. amygdali was successfully reisolated from diseased tissue. No symptoms were observed in the control treatment for almond cv. Carmel or in any treatment for cv. Mission. This is the first report of P. amygdali causing a late spring and summer fruit rot and associated branch dieback of almond in North America (1). References: (1) D. F. Farr et al. 1989. Fungi on Plants and Plant Products in the United States. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN. (2) J. J. Tuset and M. T. Portilla. Taxonomic status of Fusicoccum amygdali and Phomopsis amygdalina. Can. J. Bot. 67:1275, 1989. (3) F. A. Uecker. 1988. A World List of Phomopsis Names with Notes on Nomenclature, Morphology, and Biology. Mycologia Memoir No. 13. J. Cramer, Berlin.


Plant Disease ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 102 (12) ◽  
pp. 2430-2445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Lin ◽  
Nancy J. Taylor ◽  
Francesca Peduto Hand

Cut branches of deciduous holly (Ilex spp. L.) harboring colorful berries are traditionally used as ornaments in holiday decorations. Since 2012, a fruit rot of unspecified cause has resulted in significant yield reduction and economic losses across Midwestern and Eastern U.S. nurseries. In this study, symptomatic fruit samples collected from nine different locations over five years were analyzed, and several fungal species were isolated. A combination of morphological characterization, multilocus phylogenetic analyses, and pathogenicity assays revealed that Alternaria alternata and Diaporthe ilicicola sp. nov. were the primary pathogens associated with symptomatic fruit. Other fungi including A. arborescens, Colletotrichum fioriniae, C. nymphaeae, Epicoccum nigrum, and species in the D. eres species complex appeared to be minor pathogens in this disease complex. In detached fruit pathogenicity assays testing the role of wounding and inoculum concentration on disease development, disease incidence and severity increased when fruit was wounded and inoculated with a higher inoculum concentration. These findings indicate that management strategies that can protect fruit from injury or reduce inoculum may lower disease levels in the field. This research established the basis for further studies on this emerging disease and the design of research-based management strategies. To our knowledge, it also represents the first report of species of Alternaria, Colletotrichum, Diaporthe, and Epicoccum causing fruit rot of deciduous holly.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 202
Author(s):  
Jianghua Chen ◽  
Zihang Zhu ◽  
Yanping Fu ◽  
Jiasen Cheng ◽  
Jiatao Xie ◽  
...  

Considering the huge economic loss caused by postharvest diseases, the identification and prevention of citrus postharvest diseases is vital to the citrus industry. In 2018, 16 decayed citrus fruit from four citrus varieties—Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu), Ponkan (Citrus reticulata Blanco cv. Ponkan), Nanfeng mandarin (Citrus reticulata cv. nanfengmiju), and Sugar orange (Citrus reticulata Blanco)—showing soft rot and sogginess on their surfaces and covered with white mycelia were collected from storage rooms in seven provinces. The pathogens were isolated and the pathogenicity of the isolates was tested. The fungal strains were identified as Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae based on their morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses using the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF), and beta-tubulin (TUB) gene sequences. The strains could infect wounded citrus fruit and cause decay within two days post inoculation, but could not infect unwounded fruit. To our knowledge, this is the first report of citrus fruit decay caused by L. pseudotheobromae in China.


Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 463
Author(s):  
Amal Rabaaoui ◽  
Chiara Dall’Asta ◽  
Laura Righetti ◽  
Antonia Susca ◽  
Antonio Logrieco ◽  
...  

In 2017–2018, extensive symptoms of sudden decline and fruit rot were observed on date palms in southern Tunisia. Samples of diseased plants were randomly collected in six localities. Based on morphological identification, Fusarium was the most frequent fungal genus detected. A sequencing of translation elongation factor, calmodulin, and second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II genes was used to identify 63 representative Fusarium strains at species level and investigate their phylogenetic relationships. The main species detected was Fusarium proliferatum, and at a much lesser extent, Fusarium brachygibbosum, Fusarium caatingaense, Fusarium clavum, Fusarium incarnatum, and Fusarium solani. Pathogenicity on the Deglet Nour variety plantlets and the capability to produce mycotoxins were also assessed. All Fusarium species were pathogenic complying Koch’s postulates. Fusarium proliferatum strains produced mainly fumonisins (FBs), beauvericin (BEA), and, to a lesser extent, enniatins (ENNs) and moniliformin (MON). All F. brachygibbosum strains produced low levels of BEA, diacetoxyscirpenol, and neosolaniol; two strains produced also T-2 toxin, and a single strain produced HT-2 toxin. Fusarium caatingaense, F. clavum, F. incarnatum produced only BEA. Fusarium solani strains produced MON, BEA, and ENNs. This work reports for the first time a comprehensive multidisciplinary study of Fusarium species on date palms, concerning both phytopathological and food safety issues.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1434
Author(s):  
Hiran A. Ariyawansa ◽  
Ichen Tsai ◽  
Jian-Yuan Wang ◽  
Patchareeya Withee ◽  
Medsaii Tanjira ◽  
...  

Camellia sinensis is one of the major crops grown in Taiwan and has been widely cultivated around the island. Tea leaves are prone to various fungal infections, and leaf spot is considered one of the major diseases in Taiwan tea fields. As part of a survey on fungal species causing leaf spots on tea leaves in Taiwan, 19 fungal strains morphologically similar to the genus Diaporthe were collected. ITS (internal transcribed spacer), tef1-α (translation elongation factor 1-α), tub2 (beta-tubulin), and cal (calmodulin) gene regions were used to construct phylogenetic trees and determine the evolutionary relationships among the collected strains. In total, six Diaporthe species, including one new species, Diaporthe hsinchuensis, were identified as linked with leaf spot of C. sinensis in Taiwan based on both phenotypic characters and phylogeny. These species were further characterized in terms of their pathogenicity, temperature, and pH requirements under laboratory conditions. Diaporthe tulliensis, D. passiflorae, and D. perseae were isolated from C. sinensis for the first time. Furthermore, pathogenicity tests revealed that, with wound inoculation, only D. hongkongensis was pathogenic on tea leaves. This investigation delivers the first assessment of Diaporthe taxa related to leaf spots on tea in Taiwan.


Author(s):  
Pu Liu ◽  
Wang Xiaojie ◽  
Dong Hongjie ◽  
Jianbin Lan ◽  
Kuan Liang ◽  
...  

Diaporthe spp. are critical plant pathogens that cause wood cankers, wilt, dieback, and fruit rot in a wide variety of economic plant hosts and are regarded as one of the most acute threats faced by kiwifruit industry worldwide. Diaporthe phragmitis strain NJD1 is a highly pathogenic isolate of soft rot of kiwifruit. Here, we present a high-quality genome-wide sequence of D. phragmitis NJD1 that was assembled into 28 contigs containing a total size of 58.33 Mb and N50 length of 3.55 Mb. These results lay a solid foundation for understanding host–pathogen interaction and improving disease management strategies.


Plant Disease ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Abbasi ◽  
J. Al-Dahmani ◽  
F. Sahin ◽  
H. A. J. Hoitink ◽  
S. A. Miller

Field trials were conducted over 2 years to assess the effects of compost amendments on disease development in organic and conventional processing tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) production systems. The incidence of anthracnose fruit rot was reduced in organic tomato plots amended with a high rate of composted cannery wastes compared with the incidence in nonamended control plots in 1998 when disease incidence was high. Marketable yield was increased by 33% in compost-amended organic plots. Plots amended with a high compost rate had more ripe fruit than the nonamended control. The incidence of anthracnose and of total disease on fruit was less on the cultivar OH 8245 than on Peto 696. Total fruit yield of OH 8245 but not Peto 696 in organic plots was increased by amendment with composted cannery wastes. In conventional tomato production, composted yard wastes increased disease severity on foliage both years but reduced bacterial spot incidence on fruit in 1997, when disease pressure was high. The incidence of anthracnose was not affected by composted yard wastes. Marketable and total fruit yields of Peto 696 were not increased in compost-amended conventional plots. The plant activator Actigard reduced foliar disease severity and the incidence of bacterial spot and anthracnose on fruit, while increasing yield of marketable fruit.


2010 ◽  
Vol 100 (12) ◽  
pp. 1340-1351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Moral ◽  
Concepción Muñoz-Díez ◽  
Nazaret González ◽  
Antonio Trapero ◽  
Themis J. Michailides

Species in the family Botryosphaeriaceae are common pathogens causing fruit rot and dieback of many woody plants. In this study, 150 Botryosphaeriaceae isolates were collected from olive and other hosts in Spain and California. Representative isolates of each type were characterized based on morphological features and comparisons of DNA sequence data of three regions: internal transcribed spacer 5.8S, β-tubulin, and elongation factor. Three main species were identified as Neofusicoccum mediterraneum, causing dieback of branches of olive and pistachio; Diplodia seriata, causing decay of ripe fruit and dieback of olive branches; and Botryosphaeria dothidea, causing dalmatian disease on unripe olive fruit in Spain. Moreover, the sexual stage of this last species was also found attacking olive branches in California. In pathogenicity tests using unripe fruit and branches of olive, D. seriata isolates were the least aggressive on the fruit and branches while N. mediterraneum isolates were the most aggressive on both tissues. Isolates of B. dothidea which cause dalmatian disease on fruit were not pathogenic on branches and only weakly aggressive on fruit. These results, together with the close association between the presence of dalmatian disease symptoms and the wound created by the olive fly (Bactrocera oleae), suggest that the fly is essential for the initiation of the disease on fruit. Isolates recovered from dalmatian disease symptoms had an optimum of 26°C for mycelial growth and 30°C for conidial germination, suggesting that the pathogen is well adapted to high summer temperatures. In contrast, the range of water activity in the medium for growth of dalmatian isolates was 0.93 to 1 MPa, which was similar to that for the majority of fungi. This study resolved long-standing questions of identity and pathogenicity of species within the family Botryosphaeriaceae attacking olive trees in Spain and California.


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