Fruit rot of olive (Olea europaea) caused by Truncatella angustata

Abstract

Fruit rot is one of the most common diseases of olive in Iran. In a survey on the causal agents of olive fruit rot in Tarom region (Zanjan Province, Iran), olive fruits with anthracnose symptoms were collected from olive orchards. Isolation was made using routine plant pathology methods. The causal agent of the disease was identified as Truncatella angustata based on morphological and cultural characteristics. The identity of the species was further confirmed by sequence data of ITSrDNA region. Pathogenicity tests performed on olive fruits led to the same symptoms as observed in the field conditions. To the best of our knowledge this is first report on occurrence of T. angustata on O. europaea in any part of the world and is first record for the genus Truncatella in Iran.