1,720,976 research outputs found
Pomegranate: Postharvest Fungal Diseases and Control
Full text linkDue to well-known nutraceutical properties, pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivation is recently increasing in various areas of the world including Italy. Fungal diseases are the major causes of postharvest yield and economic losses. Most of the fungi infect pomegranates in the field during the blooming stage remaining latent until fruit ripening, others infect fruit during harvest and postharvest handling through rind injuries. Main postharvest fungal diseases of pomegranates are gray and blue molds caused by Botrytis spp. and Penicillium spp., respectively, black heart and black spot due to Alternaria spp., anthracnose related to species ascribable to Colletotrichum genus, and Coniella rot, due to Coniella granati. Few fungicides are allowed for pre- and postharvest treatments, making it extremely difficult to control fungal infections. In this scenario, especially in organic fruit production, alternative control means may be a desirable solution to reduce pomegranate losses during the production chain. This chapter focuses on the most important postharvest diseases of pomegranates and possible strategies and means to reduce spoilage.</jats:p
Eastward spreading of the invasive Rugulopteryx okamurae (Heterokontophyta, Dictyotales) in the Mediterranean: first record in the Adriatic Sea
Full text linkThe brown seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae is currently included in the list of invasive alien species of European Union concern due to its rapid expansion that is causing both ecological and economic impacts. In this study, we report the first record of R. okamurae in the Southern Adriatic Sea, off the coast of Bari, Italy, currently representing the easternmost limit of its distribution in the Mediterranean Sea. Morphological observations combined with rbcL and psbA sequence analyses confirmed the taxonomic identification. Field surveys carried out between April 2023 and January 2024 highlighted the conspicuous occurrence of R. okamurae over a total surface of approximately 6.5 ha. Two main human-mediated pathways occurring near the sites of the first observation of the alien species may have been responsible for its introduction: the trade in living organisms for human consumption and maritime transport related to the proximity of the port of Bari to the invaded area. Future studies will aim to identify and implement practical, cost-effective management strategies to mitigate this alarming bioinvasion
Characterization of Penicillium s.s. and Aspergillus sect. nigri causing postharvest rots of pomegranate fruit in Southern Italy
No full textMost of diseases of pomegranate fruit are caused by fungal pathogens, which provoke postharvest yield and
economical losses. Aspergillus and Penicillium sensu lato (s.l.) are the main wound pathogens of pomegranate fruit.
In the present investigation, the populations of Aspergillus and Penicillium s.l. isolated from pomegranate fruit in
Southern Italy were characterized. Since the morphological identification of species belonging to these genera is
laborious, molecular approaches, such as PCR and High-Resolution Melting (HRM), were used. Particularly, a
specific primer pair was designed to discriminate, within the Penicillium s.l. population, Penicillium sensu stricto
(s.s.) from Talaromyces strains. Then, a new HRM assay for species identification within Penicillium s.s. according
to SNPs present in a portion of the beta-tubulin gene was set up. Similarly, Aspergillus sect. nigri population was
characterized arranging a HRM assay, whose primer pair was designed on a portion of the calmodulin gene.
According to these assays, 10% of the Penicillium s.l. population proved to be made up of Talaromyces biverticillius
strains. Furthermore, six species of Penicillium s.s. (P. adametzioides, P. brevicompactum, P. citrinum, P. glabrum, P.
pagulum, and P. johnkrugii) and four of black aspergilli (A. tubingensis, A. welwitschiae, A. japonicus, and A.
uvarum) were identified; all species belonging to both genera disclosed different incidences in postharvest rotted
pomegranate fruit. Moreover, since Aspergillus and Penicillium are potentially producers of mycotoxins, like
ochratoxin A and fumonisins, the presence/absence of genes involved in mycotoxin biosynthetic pathways was
tested. Some Aspergillus strains belonging to species A. welwitschiae proved to possess fumonisin genes. The setup
of molecular tools to characterize Penicillium s.l. and Aspergillus sect. nigri species infecting pomegranate fruit
after harvest is of paramount importance for their effective control, even more considering the ability of these
fungal genera to produce mycotoxins, which are hazardous for human health and potentially present also in byproducts
OSTREOPSIS OVATA FUKUYO (1981): MONITORING
Full text linkspecies belong to the genus Ostreopsis Schmidt, all of these are toxic, and Ostreopsis ovata Fukuyo is one of these.
O. ovata is different from O. siamensis [5] Schmidt and O. lenticularis Fukuyo because it is smaller, it has more breakable thecal plates and it has a straight and short apical pore
First report of Curvularia spicifera causing brown rot of citrus in Southern Italy
No full textIn 2014, rot symptoms were observed on mandarin fruits
(Citrus reticulata) in a grove of Metaponto (southern Italy). Five
to 7 mm lesions, colonized by a brown mycelium characterized
diseased tissues. Fruit was collected, and surface-sterilized in
2% sodium hypochlorite. Tissue portions, removed in between
symptomatic and healthy areas, were placed on potato dextrose
agar (PDA) selective for yeasts and fungi and incubated at 24°C.
The obtained fungal isolate was deposited in the collection of
DISSPA, University of Bari, Italy, in its monoconidial form. On
PDA, colonies were fast growing, initially light brown, turning
dark brown after 7 days, raised and lobate-undulate. The aerial
mycelium was cottony. Conidia were 18.5 ± 3 μm long × 7 ± 3.4 μm
wide, ellipsoidal or oblong, straight, with rounded ends, light
brown, 3-transverse septated, with an evident hilum and walls
fairly thick, thinner towards the ends. Conidiophore light to
medium brown, of variable length, scattered or clustered, often
branching were observed. Based on these morphological characters,
the fungus was identified as Curvularia spicifera (Bainier)
Boedijn
First report of Pilidiella granati causing postharvest fruit rot on pomegranate in southern Italy
No full textIn 2015, rot symptoms were observed during storage on pomegranate fruit (Punica granatum L.) cvs Wonderful and Mollar de Elche from a packinghouse in Apulia (Southern Italy). Symptoms, observed on 26% of fruit, consisted of circular brownish-yellow lesions, beginning in the crown area and quickly expanding to entire fruit, with softening of the tissues including arils. Tissue portions were cut from surface-sterilized fruit and incubated on semi-selective PDA at 28±1°C in the dark. Colonies were white to creamy, leathery, and covered by abundant dark-greenish- brown to black spherical pycnidia (80-140 μm in diameter) with thin membranous walls. Hyphae were septate, and conidia hyaline, one-celled, 10-17.5×2-5 μm, ellipsoid to fusiform, straight or slightly curved. These characteristics corresponded to Pilidiella granati (Saccardo) (syn. Coniella granati Sacc.) Petr. & Syd.). For molecular confirmation, fungal DNA was amplified using universal primers ITS5/ITS4. BLAST analysis of the 506 bp amplicon (GenBank accession No. KU821701) showed 100% identity with other P. granati ITS sequences. For pathogenicity tests, surface-sterilized fruit of both cvs were wounded (5×5 mm), inoculated by a mycelial plug and incubated as reported above. Sterile plugs were used as controls. Lesions were visible after five days only on inoculated fruit. The re-isolated fungus corresponded to P. granati, which was reported as pomegranate postharvest rot agent in Spain (Palou et al., 2010) and recently associated with a crown rot in Italy (Pollastro et al., 2016). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. granati rot on harvested pomegranate fruit in Southern Italy that might represent a serious threat for marketing of this promising crop
Special Issue: Gene Expressions in Response to Diseases, Abiotic Stresses, and Pest Damage of Horticultural Products
Full text linkHorticultural crops are continuously exposed to pathogens, pests, and abiotic stress, which collectively result in significant economic losses [...
First report of collar and root rot caused by Phytophthora nicotianae on Lycium barbarum
Full text linkGoji (Lycium barbarum L.) is a Chinese-origin crop recently
introduced in Italy. In October 2016, collar and root rots associated
with severe twig dieback and foliage desiccation were
observed on more than 30% of two-year-old Goji plants in an
orchard in Bari province (Southern Italy). A Phytophthora sp.
was consistently isolated by plating small pieces of collar and
root decayed tissues on a BNPRAH selective medium (Erwin
and Ribeiro 1996). All isolates formed white arachnoid colonies
on potato-dextrose-agar, with papillate, persistent, pyriform
to spherical sporangia of 31–48 × 22–34 μm in size, and
globose chlamydospores of 20–32 μm in diameter, both terminal
and intercalary singly formed. Oospores were not observed.
Phenotypic characteristics matched those of
Phytophthora nicotianae (Erwin and Ribeiro 1996)
Postharvest Rot of Pomegranate Fruit in Southern Italy: Characterization of the Main Pathogens
Full text linkPomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an emerging crop in Italy and particularly in southern regions, such as Apulia, Basilicata, and Sicily, due to favorable climatic conditions. The crop is affected by several pathogenic fungi, primarily in the field, but also during postharvest phases. The most important postharvest fungal diseases in pomegranate are gray and blue molds, black heart and black spot, anthracnose, dry rot, and various soft rots. The limited number of fungicides allowed for treatment in the field and the lack of postharvest fungicides make it difficult to control latent, quiescent, and incipient fungal infections. Symptomatic pomegranates from southern Italy were sampled and isolated fungi were morphologically and molecularly characterized. The data obtained revealed that various species of Penicillium sensu lato (including Talaromyces genus), Alternaria spp., Coniella granati, and Botrytis cinerea were the principal etiological agents of postharvest pomegranate fruit diseases; other relevant pathogens, although less represented, were ascribable to Aspergillus sect. nigri, Colletotrichum acutatum sensu stricto, and Cytospora punicae. About two thirds of the isolated pathogens were responsible for latent infections. The results obtained may be useful in planning phytosanitary control strategies from the field to storage, so as to reduce yield losses
Occurrence of sheraphelenchus sucus (nematoda: Aphelenchoidinae) and panagrellus sp. (Rhabditida: Panagrolaimidae) associated with decaying pomegranate Fruit in Italy
Full text linkTwo different nematode species were recovered from pomegranate decaying fruit in two localities in Southern Italy: The mycetophagus nematode Sheraphelenchus sucus and a bacterial feeder nematode belonging to the Panagrolaimidae (Rhabditida) family. Morphometrics of the Italian population of S. sucus closely resemble that of the type population, whereas some differences were found when compared with another population from Iran. Molecular characterization of the Italian S. sucus using the 18S rRNA gene, D2-D3 expansion domains of the 28S rDNA, the ITS region, and the partial mitochondrial COI were carried out. Sequences of the 18S rRNA gene, the D2-D3 domains, and the ITS were analyzed using several methods for inferring phylogeny to reconstruct the relationships among Sheraphelenchus and Bursaphelenchus species. The bacterial feeder Panagrellus sp. was characterized at the molecular level only. The D2-D3 expansion domains and ITS sequences of this Italian panagrolaimid were determined. The D2-D3 sequences of the Italian panagrolaimid showed 99% similarity with the corresponding sequence of Panagrellus sp. associated with Rhynchophorus ferrugineus. This is the first report on the tritrophic association of S. sucus and Rhabditida that uses both insects and pomegranate fruit as hosts
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