Occurrence of Biscogniauxia mediterranea in cork oak stands in Tunisia

Cork oak decline and mortality are increasingly prevalent in the Mediterranean basin. This require particular attention due to the great economic value of this plant species. Biscogniauxia mediterranea is one of the most common pathogens highly associated to cork oak decline. However, documentation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPhytoparasitica Vol. 49; no. 1; pp. 131 - 141
Main Authors Yangui, Islem, Ben Jamaâ, Mohamed Lahbib, Zouaoui Boutiti, Meriem, Vettraino, Anna Maria, Vannini, Andrea, Messaoud, Chokri
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2021
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Agriculture
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biscogniauxia mediterranea
Cork
Decline
Dispersal
Ecology
Endophytes
Forest management
Forest resources
Forests
Fungi
Life Sciences
Oak
Original Article
Pathogens
Plant Pathology
Plant Sciences
Plant species
Quercus suber
Rainfall
Trees
Tunisia
Mediterranean Area
Endophyte
Charcoal disease
Distribution
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Summary:Cork oak decline and mortality are increasingly prevalent in the Mediterranean basin. This require particular attention due to the great economic value of this plant species. Biscogniauxia mediterranea is one of the most common pathogens highly associated to cork oak decline. However, documentation on its incidence is still scarce, especially in Tunisia. In this context, our research aimed at detecting its presence in Tunisian natural cork oak forests and assessing factors influencing its occurrence. Investigations were carried out in six forests in northwestern Tunisia. Dendrometric parameters of trees, ecological factors (rainfall, temperature, and altitude), and the presence of B. mediterranea as pathogen were determined. The endophytic presence of this fungus was also established. It was detected in all investigated forests, with significantly different frequencies, and was reported to be related to the dendrometric structure of the cork oak trees. On the other hand, the presence of B. mediterranea as pathogen was only detected in Ain Beya and Ain Sarouia forests. It was very limited with 4% of trees per site showing the disease signs. In conclusion, measures to prevent the dispersal of B. mediterranea throughout other cork oak forests shall be implemented in order to conserve such valuable forest resources.
ISSN:0334-2123
1876-7184
DOI:10.1007/s12600-020-00872-x