Short communication: Morphological description and molecular detection of Pestalotiopsis sp. on hazelnut in Serbia

Tanja Vasić,Aleksandar Leposavić,Sanja Živković,Darko Jevremović,Svetlana Paunović,Vesna Krnjaja,Snežana Anđelković

doi:10.5424/sjar/2017153-11297

Abstract

In autumn 2015, hazelnut plants with leaf blight symptoms were noticed in a commercial plantation in the Province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Symptomatic samples were collected and submitted to laboratory analysis. Based on morphological characterization, the fungus isolated from the material was initially identified as Pestalotiopsis sp. Pathogenicity tests showed that two selected isolates infected hazelnut leaves and fruits that developed symptoms after artificial inoculation. The pathogen was re-isolated from diseased leaves and fruits, confirming Koch’s postulates. Molecular identification was performed with sequence and phylogenetic analysis of ITS, EF1-α, and TUB genomic regions. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the results of the morphological identification. The detection of Pestalotiopsis sp., a causal agent of leaf blight on hazelnut in Serbia, is one of a few reports of these pathogenic fungi on hazelnut.

Highlights

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is an important nut tree cultivated in many countries in the World
In autumn 2015, hazelnut plants with leaf blight symptoms were noticed in a commercial plantation in the Province of Vojvodina, Serbia
The fungus isolated from the material was initially identified as Pestalotiopsis sp

Summary

Introduction

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is an important nut tree cultivated in many countries in the World. Turkey is a leading producer, with a share of more than 70% of the global production, followed by Italy, Azerbaijan, Georgia, USA and Spain (INC, 2016). In Serbia, hazelnut is cultivated on more than 2,200 ha, but the domestic production cannot meet local demands (Keserović et al, 2014), which have significantly increased in the past decade. New large-scale orchards are currently being planted and hazelnut production is becoming an important part of agriculture. More than 220 Pestalotiopsis species have been described so far. At least 23 species were reported as endophytes and represent an important group of endophytic fungi (Liu et al, 2007).

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