Sphaceloma coryli: A Reemerging Pathogen Causing Heavy Losses on Hazelnut in Southern Italy

Abstract

In 2013 to 2014, a disease causing severe crop losses was observed in several growing areas of the Campania region in southern Italy. Disease symptoms consisted of necrotic spots on leaves, bracts, and shells along with vein necrosis. Nuts were necrotic or aborted and symptomatic fruit dropped prematurely. A fungus was consistently isolated from symptomatic tissues and morphologically identified as Sphaceloma coryli. The fungus was first reported in France and Italy (Campania) over 30 years ago and was not subsequently documented until 2006 in the Latium region of Italy. When artificially inoculated on healthy hazelnut plants, disease symptoms were reproduced. The teleomorph of S. coryli was recorded for the first time on overwintering tissues of hazelnut trees. It was also induced in vitro. The morphology of asci and ascospores together with phylogenetic analysis based on internal transcribed spacer sequences indicated that the teleomorph is an undescribed species within the genus Elsinoë for which the name of Elsinoë coryli is proposed. Optimum temperatures for ascospore and conidium germination and mycelium growth were determined in vitro. The inhibition effect of some commercial fungicides on S. coryli was also evaluated in vitro.

Phylogeny, morphology and pathogenicity of Elsinoë ampelina, the causal agent of grapevine anthracnose in Brazil and Australia

“…Furthermore, ITS sequences obtained in our study showed 100% identity to sequences of isolates collected in Brazil and USA (Fan et al, 2017;Schilder et al, 2005). Minutolo et al (2016), studying 24 E. coryli isolates from hazelnut, observed that ITS sequences showed 99% identity to each other.…”

“…Minutolo et al. (), studying 24 E. coryli isolates from hazelnut, observed that ITS sequences showed 99% identity to each other. However, the ITS is a useful locus for distinguishing most species of the genus Elsinoë , resolving 61 of 74 (82.4%) of the species included in the phylogenetic tree (Fan et al., ).…”

“…Fungal species belonging to the genus Elsinoë cause anthracnose diseases in several other crops such as apple, cassava, citrus, hazelnut and rose (Alvarez, Mejia, & Valle, 2003;Bagsic, Linde, & Debener, 2016;Hyun et al, 2009;Minutolo, Nanni, Scala, & Alioto, 2016;Scheper, Wood, & Fisher, 2013). A recent taxonomic study of Elsinoë spp.…”

Aetiology of anthracnose on grapevine shoots in Brazil

“…Multilocus DNA analysis was used for the first time for the identification of E. ampelina in grapevine. Sequence analysis of the ITS region has been widely used for the molecular identification of Elsinoë / Sphaceloma in several pathosystems (Hyun et al ., ; Everett et al ., ; Miles et al ., ; Minutolo et al ., ) and the ITS region has also been used together with the TEF gene (Hyun et al ., ; Miles et al ., ). Hyun et al .…”

Phytoplasmas associated with declining of hazelnut (Corylus avellana) in Slovenia

“…corylina causes severe damage in some hazelnut plantations in Italy (Lamichhane et al 2012). Another pathogen that has caused heavy losses of hazelnut production in Italy is the fungus Spaceloma coryli (Minutolo et al 2016). Hazelnuts can also be affected by Fusarium lateritium, which is the causal agent of nut grey necrosis and twig canker (Belisario et al 2005;Santori et al 2010).…”