engleski

Identification and pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriaceae species isolated from grapevines in Croatia.

To date, 21 Botryosphaeriaceae spp. have been reported worldwide from grapevine, primarily associated with grapevine trunk diseases. In Croatia, these phytopathogenic fungi have not been fully studied and very little is known about their occurrence and pathogenicity on grapevine. In order to identify the Botryosphaeriaceae spp. associated with grapevine in Croatia, infected grapevine wood samples were collected from vineyards in different grape-growing regions, and pure fungal isolates were obtained. Fungal isolates were identified to the species level based on their morphological characters, while molecular identification was based on the analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) and part of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (EF1-α), using primers ITS4/ITS5 and EF1-728F/EF1-986R, respectively. To test the pathogenicity of the identified Botryosphaeriaceae species, in vitro inoculations of green shoots and lignified canes of Croatian grapevine cultivars Graševina and Škrlet were conducted. This study showed the presence of Botryosphaeriaceae spp. in the genera Diplodia, Botryosphaeria, Neofusicoccum and Dothiorella from which the most prevalent species were Diplodia seriata and Botryosphaeria dothidea. All fungal species identified in this study showed pathogenicity on grapevine but virulence varied. There were no significant differences between pathogenicity trials with green shoots and lignified canes. This research shows Botryosphaeriaceae spp. to occur in all Croatian grape-growing regions and the significant role that these fungi play in the etiology of Grapevine trunk diseases in Croatia.

fungi; grapevine; Botryosphaeriaceae; pathogenicity

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