Identification of a new Hazelnut disease in Liaoning Province: Hazelnut husk brown rot

Abstract

Hazelnut husk brown rot has been identified as a new disease in Liaoning Province in recent years. The objective of this study as to identify the pathogen. [Method] In this study, a standard sample of hazelnut husk brown rot was collected from Songmudao Base in Dalian City, Liaoning Province. The pathogen was identified by the studies of the morphology, pathogenicity, and analyses of ITS and LSU sequences. The pathogen was isolated and purified, which was confirmed by Koch’s postulates. The symptoms after inoculation were the same as those collected directly from a diseased tree, which showed that it was the pathogenic fungus. The cultural characteristics and conidia and the morphology of the pathogenic fungi were similar to those of Botrytis cinerea’s. The ITS sequences and LSU sequences were compared to the associated strain sequences in GenBank, with 100% identity to Botrytis cinerea (GenBank accession number: MN589848.1) and Botrytis cinerea (GenBank accession number: KU140653.1), respectively. The infection status of the pathogen on the hazelnut husks was also observed. The studies suggested that the pathogen leading to the hazelnut husk brown rot as a new disease in Liaoning Province was Botrytis cinerea.