Identity and pathogenicity of some fungi associated with hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) trunk cankers in Oregon

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 14; no. 10; p. e0223500
• Main Authors: Wiman, Nik G, Webber, 3rd, John Bryan, Wiseman, Michele, Merlet, Lea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 10.10.2019; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Algorithms; Biology and Life Sciences; Blight; Branches; Computer and Information Sciences; Corylus - microbiology; Corylus avellana; Cultivars; Earth Sciences; Fungi; Fungi - isolation & purification; Fungi - pathogenicity; Fungicides; Genes; Genetic aspects; Hazelnuts; Horticulture; Inoculation; Medicine and Health Sciences; Molecular biology; Orchards; Oregon; Pathogenic microorganisms; Pathogenicity; Pathogens; Pesticides; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Plant diseases; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Trees; Trees - microbiology; Oregon; United States; California; Willamette Valley; Chile; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223500

Four fungi isolated from trunks and branches of European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) from commercial orchards in the Willamette Valley, Oregon were characterized and pathogenicity was tested on potted hazelnut trees. The acreage of hazelnuts in Oregon has expanded greatly in recent years in response to the availability of Eastern filbert blight resistant cultivars. Fungi were characterized using the BLASTn algorithm and the GenBank database with multiple partial gene sequence(s). If BLASTn and GenBank were not sufficient for species-level identification, then a multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) was performed. The four pathogens were identified as Diplodia mutilla (Fr.) Mont., Dothiorella omnivora B.T. Linaldeddu, A. Deidda & B. Scanu, Valsa cf. eucalypti Cooke & Harkn., and Diaporthe eres Nitschke. All pathogens but D. omnivora have not been previously reported from European hazelnut in the literature. All four pathogens caused lesions on trunks bare root hazelnut trees cv. 'Jefferson' planted in pots in the greenhouse and fungi were re-isolated from inoculated trees. D. mutilla appeared particularly aggressive in repeated inoculation experiments.