Identification and Characterization of Fungal Pathogens Causing Trunk and Branch Cankers of Almond Trees in Morocco

Abstract

Canker symptoms were observed on almond trees in the Fez-Meknes region, Morocco. Isolations were conducted from the infected branch and trunk showing internal and external brown lesions. Four representative fungal isolates were screened, and their identities were confirmed by cultural traits and sequence analysis of DNA using two genes, the ITS region (internal transcribed spacer) and calmodulin (cmdA). The identified fungi were Curvularia hawaiiensis, Fusarium ambrosium, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, and Chondrestereum purpureum. The pathogenicity test on almond twigs revealed that these species were pathogenic to their host with different degrees of virulence, with Lasiodiplodia theobromae as the most virulent causing the longest necrotic lesion (285.17 mm) and the death of twigs. Physiological traits analysis of the above-mentioned fungi showed that the optimum mycelium growth response at different temperatures varies from 10 to 35 °C, while the pH ranges between 3.0 and 8.0. This study confirms the presence of canker pathogens on almond trees, which will contribute valuable information to improve the understanding of the contemporary status of almond trees, thus helping the improvement of the management of almond orchards. To our knowledge, all these fungi represent new records in Morocco and some of them are confirmed on the almond trees for the first time in the world.

Duplex Real-Time PCR Assays for the Simultaneous Detection and Quantification of Botryosphaeriaceae Species Causing Canker Diseases in Woody Crops

“…These diseases affect the trunk and branches of young and mature almond trees causing cankers, extensive gumming, dieback, discoloration and necrosis of internal tissues and, especially in severe cases and young trees, plant death. Almond canker diseases have been described in California [13][14][15][16][17], Iran [18], Turkey [19], Morocco [20] and Spain [5,[21][22][23], causing important economic losses [24].…”

Identification and Characterization of the Pathogen Causing Canker Disease in Acid Lime (Citrus aurantiifolia) cv. Petlur Acid Lime

“…Without accurate diagnosis, timely control measures cannot be implemented. Traditional methods for detecting and identifying bacterial pathogens involve isolating the pathogen on selective media and conducting identification through molecular analysis [3,4]. However, these methods have limitations.…”