Different brown rot pathogens cause similar symptoms on fruit, which makes it
difficult to differentiate them based only on developed symptoms. Therefore,
several methods have been described for accurate identification of Monilinia
species. In spite of the fact that those methods can be reliable, there are
several limitations for their use, and the aim of this study was to find out
if there are any specific characteristics that could be used as additional
features for precise identification and in-depth characterization of
Monilinia species. The results showed that morphological characteristics on
PDA, and mycelium growth rate on PDA medium can be useful characters for
differentiation of Monilinia species since M. fructicola was found to grow
faster than the other two test species, while M. fructigena grew the
slowest. MALT was the optimal medium for M. laxa and M. fructigena isolates,
while PDA medium was optimal for M. fructicola. Regarding an extremely
acidic medium (pH 2), only M. laxa and M. fructicola isolates were able to
grow in it, while M. fructigena isolate was the only that grew in a
moderately alkaline medium (pH 9). Also, the results revealed that the
optimal temperature for M. fructigena and M. fructicola growth was 23oC,
while 28oC was optimal for M. laxa isolate. On the other hand, some
differences in the sensitivity of Monilinia isolates were revealed at
extreme temperatures: M. fructigena isolate was the most sensitive (grew
from 4?C to up to 31?C), while M. fructicola isolate was the most resistant
(grew at 2?C and 34?C). The obtained results inferred that there are no
specific features that can be used for reliable and precise identification
of Monilinia species, but we observed some differences regarding the effects
of extreme temperatures and pH values of culture medium on different
species. Further research, involving more isolates, is needed for a final
conclusion. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 451-03-68/2020-14/200214]