Fungal species causing canker and wilt of Ficus carica and evidence of their association by bark beetles in Italy

TY - JOUR

T1 - Fungal species causing canker and wilt of Ficus carica and evidence of their association by bark beetles in Italy

AU - Gusella, Giorgio

AU - Gugliuzzo, Antonio

AU - Guarnaccia, Vladimiro

AU - Martino, Ilaria

AU - Aiello, Dalia

AU - Costanzo, Mariangela B.

AU - Russo, Agatino

AU - Groenewald, Johannes Z.

AU - Crous, Pedro W.

AU - Polizzi, Giancarlo

N1 - PMID: 38468134

PY - 2024/6/24

Y1 - 2024/6/24

N2 - Field surveys conducted during 2021 and 2022 in Western Sicily, Italy, revealed the presence of common fig trees severely affected by trunk and crown root canker and bark cracking. Moreover, in conjunction with the symptomatic tissues, the same surveyed plants showed the presence of bark beetle holes and internal wood galleries. The predominant beetle Criphalus dilutus was previously reported attacking figs in Sicily. Phylogenetic analyses based on multilocus DNA data showed the presence of different fungal taxa associated with disease symptoms, including Botryosphaeria dothidea, Ceratocystis ficicola, Diaporthe foeniculina, Neocosmospora bostrycoides, N. perseae, and Neofusicoccum luteum. Pathogenicity tests conducted on potted fig plants showed that all the species were pathogenic to fig, with C. ficicola and Neocosmospora spp. as the most aggressive fungal species. Moreover, isolations conducted from the bodies of emerging adult insects recovered from disease samples confirmed the presence of C. ficicola and Neocosmospora spp., suggesting the potential involvement of C. dilutus in their dissemination.

AB - Field surveys conducted during 2021 and 2022 in Western Sicily, Italy, revealed the presence of common fig trees severely affected by trunk and crown root canker and bark cracking. Moreover, in conjunction with the symptomatic tissues, the same surveyed plants showed the presence of bark beetle holes and internal wood galleries. The predominant beetle Criphalus dilutus was previously reported attacking figs in Sicily. Phylogenetic analyses based on multilocus DNA data showed the presence of different fungal taxa associated with disease symptoms, including Botryosphaeria dothidea, Ceratocystis ficicola, Diaporthe foeniculina, Neocosmospora bostrycoides, N. perseae, and Neofusicoccum luteum. Pathogenicity tests conducted on potted fig plants showed that all the species were pathogenic to fig, with C. ficicola and Neocosmospora spp. as the most aggressive fungal species. Moreover, isolations conducted from the bodies of emerging adult insects recovered from disease samples confirmed the presence of C. ficicola and Neocosmospora spp., suggesting the potential involvement of C. dilutus in their dissemination.

KW - bark beetle

KW - canker pathogens

KW - Criphalus dilutus

KW - Ficus carica

KW - fig

KW - fungal diseases

KW - wilt

U2 - 10.1094/PDIS-01-24-0251-RE

DO - 10.1094/PDIS-01-24-0251-RE

M3 - Article

SN - 0191-2917

VL - 108

SP - 2136

EP - 2147

JO - Plant Disease

JF - Plant Disease

IS - 7

ER -