Diseases and Disorders of Perennial and Ornamental Plants

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Protection, Diseases, Pests and Weeds".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2023) | Viewed by 7139

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food and Enviroment, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: plant pathology; morphological and molecular diagnosis of bacteria and fungi; development of diseases control strategies; soil and substrate disinfestation against soil-borne pathogens; fungicides resistance
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Co-Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food and Enviroment, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: fungal pathogens; canker; trunk diseases; characterization; control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fungal diseases and abiotic diseases of perennial tree crops, as well as ornamental plants, represent relevant topics of interest for plant pathologists. Especially in recent years, many studies have tried to elucidate the etiology of canopy diseases and the mechanisms behind abiotic disorders. New molecular techniques, in conjunction with traditional methods of morphological observation, are helping us to discover and describe new genera and species involved in the infection process. Usually, members of the Botryosphaeriaceae family, as well as Diaporthaceae, are the organisms most often encountered in trunk and canopy diseases, although many other taxa are characterized as primary or secondary pathogens. The role of the fungi associated with the symptoms of cankers, blight, and dieback is crucial to understand the etiology and epidemiology of trunk and canopy diseases. Moreover, investigations into disorders (abiotic stresses) are crucial in order to understand the phytopathological situation because these often occur in conjunction with fungal diseases. In addition, management strategies based on agronomic practices, fungicide applications, and especially the usage of biocontrol agents are crucial to control the spread of these diseases.

This Special Issue focuses on the characterization and pathogenicity of fungi associated with canopy diseases and the study of disorders affecting perennial plants. All types of articles, such as original research, opinions, and reviews covering phylogeny, pathogenicity, epidemiology, and the control of fungal pathogens and/or disorders are welcome.

Dr. Dalia Aiello
Dr. Giorgio Gusella
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • trunk diseases
  • canker
  • dieback
  • shoot blight
  • phylogeny
  • epidemiology
  • control

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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18 pages, 8328 KiB  
Article
Diversity and Pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriaceae and Phytophthora Species Associated with Emerging Olive Diseases in Italy
by Benedetto T. Linaldeddu, Giovanni Rossetto, Lucia Maddau, Thomas Vatrano and Carlo Bregant
Agriculture 2023, 13(8), 1575; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13081575 - 7 Aug 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3065
Abstract
Extensive collar rot, sunken and bleeding cankers, shoot blight, and fruit rot symptoms on olive trees have recently been observed in several orchards in Italy. Since there is little information about the etiology of these diseases and given the high economic relevance of [...] Read more.
Extensive collar rot, sunken and bleeding cankers, shoot blight, and fruit rot symptoms on olive trees have recently been observed in several orchards in Italy. Since there is little information about the etiology of these diseases and given the high economic relevance of this iconic crop, a study was conducted from autumn 2017 to summer 2022, in four Italian regions, to define the occurrence, distribution and impact of the main pathogens involved. A total of 1064 symptomatic olive samples were collected and processed. Based on colony appearance, micromorphological analysis and DNA sequence data, thirty-eight species, including eighteen Botryosphaeriaceae species belonging to five genera and fifteen Phytophthora species, were isolated and identified, thirteen of which, Diplodia africana, D. fraxini, D. subglobosa, Dothiorella omnivora, Do. sarmentorum, Do. sempervirentis, Sardiniella urbana (Botryosphaeriaceae), Phytophthora cactorum, P. cinnamomi, P. citricola, P. crassamura, P. niederhauserii and P. pseudocryptogea, are reported here for the first time in olive trees. Pathogenicity tests performed on unripe drupes and on potted olive seedlings completed Koch postulates and highlighted that several species of Botryosphaeriaceae and Phytophthora represent a growing threat to olive trees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diseases and Disorders of Perennial and Ornamental Plants)
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12 pages, 1984 KiB  
Opinion
A Review of Botryosphaeria Stem Blight Disease of Blueberry from the Perspective of Plant Breeding
by Sushan Ru, Shunping Ding, Jonathan E. Oliver and Ayodele Amodu
Agriculture 2023, 13(1), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13010100 - 29 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3402
Abstract
Stem blight of blueberry caused by fungal pathogens in the family Botryosphaeriaceae presents a major challenge to global blueberry production. Since its first documented outbreak in North Carolina, USA in the 1950s, Botryosphaeria stem blight has been reported in the blueberry production regions [...] Read more.
Stem blight of blueberry caused by fungal pathogens in the family Botryosphaeriaceae presents a major challenge to global blueberry production. Since its first documented outbreak in North Carolina, USA in the 1950s, Botryosphaeria stem blight has been reported in the blueberry production regions of more than nine countries across five continents. The lack of effective management strategies or resistant cultivars makes disease control especially challenging. With the goal of illuminating directions for future Botryosphaeria stem blight management, especially through resistant-cultivar development, this review summarizes the latest information on the distribution and causal pathogens of this disease, the pathogenicity of fungal species, disease resistance of blueberry cultivars, and currently recommended management practices. DNA sequencing techniques have revealed multiple fungal species that are associated with this disease. However, a lack of reliable methods to screen cultivars for stem blight resistance remains a major bottleneck for the development of resistant cultivars. Future studies should focus on at least four key areas: (1) the development and adoption of uniform and reliable screening protocols; (2) utilization of diverse and well-characterized Botryosphaeriaceae isolates for germplasm screens; (3) field evaluations of cultivar resistance and management practices; and (4) exploration of new tools for disease management and prevention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diseases and Disorders of Perennial and Ornamental Plants)
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