Identification of Species in the Botryosphaeriaceae Family Causing Stem Blight on Southern Highbush Blueberry in Florida

Abstract

Stem blight of southern highbush blueberry (SHB) results in premature plant mortality and has been identified by Florida blueberry growers as the economically most important disease for the industry. In 2007, plants with stem blight and dieback symptoms were sampled at 4-month intervals from two farms located in Alachua and Polk Co., FL. In all, 30 cane samples (stem blight) and 30 crown segments (dieback) were collected at each sample date and each location. In total, 360 samples were collected; fungal species in the family Botryosphaeriaceae were isolated from 85% of the samples. Based on morphology and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region and elongation factor 1-α (EF1-α) sequences, two dominant species recovered from SHB in Florida were identified: Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Neofusicoccum ribis. Species isolation was independent of location, symptom type, and time of year. Additional samplings are needed to investigate population change over multiple years and in the rest of the southeastern United States. Breeding for resistance and management of stem blight and dieback in Florida should focus on these two fungal species.

Identification and characterization of Diaporthe vaccinii Shear causing upright dieback and viscid rot of cranberry in Poland

“…plants (Olatinwo et al 2003;Espinoza et al 2008;MacKenzie et al 2009;Stromeng and Stensvand 2011;Wright and Harmon 2010;Lombard et al 2014), in our study the causal agent on cranberry growing in one location in central Poland was classified as D. vaccinii Shear. Due to intensive plant material exchange and possible latent fungal infections, as well as close proximity of other, non-cultivated host plants, we should be aware of the possibility of introducing new and particularly harmful pathogenic fungal species to cultivated Vaccinium plants in our country.…”

“…Pestalotiopsis spp., Botryosphaeria dothidea, Godronia cassandrae and Colletotrichum spp.) (MacKenzie et al 2009;Stromeng and Stensvand 2011;Wright and Harmon 2010;Espinoza et al 2008). Due to the presence of latent infections (Friend and Boone 1968;Milholland and Daykin 1983), as well as coexistence of some fungal species on one host, diagnosis of the disease based only on symptoms or fungal morphological traits is not reliable.…”

Comparison of <i>in vitro</i> and in planta sporogenesis in <i>Neofusicoccum</i> species from blueberry

“…Species in the family Botryosphaeriaceae typically have a wide host range and geographical distribution (Wright et al 2010). Neofusicoccum parvum and N. ribis species are the most widespread and have been reported on many hosts, such as Eucalyptus sp., Malus sylvestris, Populus nigra, Araucaria sp., Actinidia deliciosa and others (Sakalidis et al 2013).…”

First Report of Neofusicoccum parvum associated with Bark Dieback of Blueberry in Korea

“…Conidia were hyaline, thin walled, smooth, non septate, ellipsoidal to fusiform, 12.4−18.1 × 5.6−8.1 µm (L/W ratio of 2.4 ± 0.1). The morphological characteristics of the isolates were coincided with those of Neofusicoccum parvum (Wright and Harmon, 2010). To confirm the identities of the fungal isolates, the internal transcribed space regions (ITS) were amplified with primers ITS1 (5'-TCCGTAGGTGAACCTGCGG-3')/ITS4 (5'-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3') and sequenced.…”

“…2). Therefore, both the morphological and ITS sequences confirmed this species to be N. parvum (Javier-Alva et al, 2009, Wright andHarmon, 2010). Pathogenicity tests were carried out on 2-year old blueberry plants.…”