Abstract
From 2013–2017, 11 chestnut populations and 16 apple orchards/plantations in Macedonia were examined for health; soil, root and bark samples were collected from trees expressing symptoms regarded as Phytophthora specific. Using leaf baits of Prunus laurocerasus and selective V8 Agar (PARPNH), 19 pure Phytophthora sp. cultures were isolated and identified as P. cactorum by ITS sequencing. Sixteen isolates were from apple trees and 3 from chestnut trees. Phylogenetic analyses suggested slight distance between P. cactorum isolates originating from chestnut trees compared to those from apple orchards. Assessment of pathogenicity using chestnuts twigs showed no differences be-tween P. cactorum isolates from the two tree host species.
Highlights
The genus Phytophthora was first reported in 1845, when Botrytis infestans, fully described in 1876 as Phytophthora infestans (Mont) De Bary was identified as the causal agent of potato blight, the main factor causing yield losses during the infamous Great Irish Famine (1844–1886)
The only accessible relevant data on Phytophthora species detected in Macedonia is the paper published by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) for presence of dying off symptoms caused by P. cryptogea, dating from 1985 [7]
Bark and roots from symptomatic trees, plus samples of surrounding soils were collected for isolation of Phytophthora spp. and the pathogenicity of P. cactorum strains isolated during the study was assessed
Summary
The genus Phytophthora was first reported in 1845, when Botrytis infestans, fully described in 1876 as Phytophthora infestans (Mont) De Bary was identified as the causal agent of potato blight, the main factor causing yield losses during the infamous Great Irish Famine (1844–1886). Phytophthora cactorum is a generalist plant pathogen with a worldwide distribution. P. cactorum causes necrosis on inoculated plants of Quercus robur [4], on apple, rhododendron and strawberry, with genetically different isolates expressing different host specificity [5], and is one of the Phytophthora spp. complex responsible for ink disease of chestnut trees [6].
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