Abstract

A new disease of fennel is described from Sicily (southern Italy). Surveys of the disease and sampling were conducted during spring 2017 and 2018 in Adrano and Bronte municipalities (Catania province) where this crop is widely cultivated. Isolations from the margin of symptomatic tissues resulted in fungal colonies with the same morphology. Pathogenicity tests with one isolate of the fungus on 6-month-old plants of fennel reproduced similar symptoms to those observed in nature. Inoculation experiments to assess the susceptibility of six different fennel cultivars to infection by the pathogen showed that the cultivars ‘Narciso’, ‘Apollo’, and ‘Pompeo’ were more susceptible than ‘Aurelio’, ‘Archimede’, and ‘Pegaso’. Phylogenetic analyses based on a matrix of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the large subunit (LSU), and the small subunit (SSU) rDNA regions revealed that the isolates represent a new genus and species within the Leptosphaeriaceae, which is here described as Ochraceocephala foeniculi gen. et sp. nov. This study improves the understanding of this new fennel disease, but further studies are needed for planning effective disease management strategies. According to the results of the phylogenetic analyses, Subplenodomus iridicola is transferred to the genus Alloleptosphaeria and Acicuseptoria rumicis to Paraleptosphaeria.

Highlights

  • Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), native in arid and semi-arid regions of southern Europe and the Mediterranean area, is used as a vegetable, herb, and seed spice in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and healthcare industries

  • Phylogenetic analyses based on a matrix of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the large subunit (LSU), and the small subunit (SSU) rDNA regions revealed that the isolates represent a new genus and species within the Leptosphaeriaceae, which is here described as Ochraceocephala foeniculi gen. et sp. nov

  • Disease symptoms were observed in three farms, and included necrotic lesions and crown and root rot on three different cultivars

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Summary

Introduction

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), native in arid and semi-arid regions of southern Europe and the Mediterranean area, is used as a vegetable, herb, and seed spice in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and healthcare industries. Is the leading world producer of fennel (around 85% of the world production), with 20,035 ha of area cultivated and a total production of 537,444 tons. Fennel represents an important crop widely cultivated in Sicily (southern Italy) with 1,620 ha harvested and a production of 35,930 tons (ISTAT 2018). Several diseases caused by fungi have been reported from this crop throughout the world (Table 1). Brown rot and wilt caused by Phytophthora megasperma and crown rot caused by Didymella glomerata Phoma glomerata) were reported in Italy (Cacciola et al 2006; Lahoz et al 2007)

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