Characterization and pathogenicity assessment of Plectosphaerella species associated with stunting disease on tomato and pepper crops in Italy

This study follows a survey carried out in 2012 and 2013 on tomato and pepper crops in the Foggia province (southern Italy), for morphological, molecular and pathogenicity analyses of Plectosphaerella fungi. The Plectosphaerella genus includes several species that are pathogens of horticultural plants. The survey identified tomato and pepper crops that showed abundant wilt, leaf yellowing, and discolouration and necrosis of roots, plus collar and stem symptoms. Different fungi including Plectosphaerella spp. were isolated from tissues with and without symptoms. Subsequent molecular and morphological studies identified first records of P. citrulli infecting tomato and pepper, and P. pauciseptata and P. ramiseptata infecting pepper. Pathogenicity testing confirmed that most isolated species of Plectosphaerella caused symptoms on tomato and pepper, with P. ramiseptata the most aggressive. On the basis of these data, it is considered that Plectosphaerella species may cause stunting disease in tomato and pepper

First report of pitch canker caused by Fusarium circinatum on Pinus halepensis and Pinus pinea in Apulia (Southern Italy)

Since 2005, pitch canker symptoms have been observed in Apulia (southern Italy, 41°27′42.84″N, 15°33′0.36″E) on numerous trees of Pinus halepensis and P. pinea in urban parks and gardens. Trees showed crown decline as a consequence of dieback of twigs and branches and withering of needles. Bleeding cankers with abundant resin were visible on twigs and branches. The needles of affected twigs and branches wilted, faded, turned yellow, then red, and were discarded. Isolations from symptomatic needles, twigs, and branches were performed on water agar, potato dextrose agar (PDA), and pentachloronitrobenzene medium. A species of Fusarium was consistently isolated from all infected tissues, and pure cultures were obtained by single hyphal tip transfers on PDA and synthetic nutrient agar medium (2). Colonies were incubated at 22 ± 3°C for 7 to 10 days. They produced white aerial mycelia, violet pigment, typically 3-septate macroconidia with slightly curved walls, single-celled microconidia, and characteristic sterile hyphal coils. Microconidia were ovoid or allantoid and born in false heads on aerial polyphialides. The species was identified as Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg & O'Donnell (= F. subglutinans Wollenweb & Reinking) on the basis of morphological and cultural characteristics (3). The identification was confirmed by PCR with specific primers CIRC1A/CIRC4A. The specific primer pair amplified a 360-bp DNA fragment of the two nuclear ribosomal IGS region (4). The pathogenicity of three Italian isolates of F. circinatum from Pinus spp. (Fc1640, Fc1642, and Fc1643 stored in the collection of Dipartimento Scienze Agroambientali, Chimica and Difesa Vegetale, University of Foggia) was evaluated by artificial inoculations on 2-year-old potted seedlings of P. halepensis, P. pinea, P. nigra, P. sylvestris, P. domestica, P. pinaster, P. excelsa, P. radiate, and Pseudotsuga menziesii (10 seedlings for each species and fungal isolate). Small PDA plugs from actively growing colonies of F. circinatum were introduced into a U-shaped cut on the stem of the seedlings and wrapped with moist sterile cottonwool. An equal number of control plants of each Pinus spp. was inoculated with sterile agar. All plants were grown in a nursery at ambient temperature (20 to 28°C). Within 30 days after inoculation, resinous cankers appeared on the stem of the seedlings of P. halepensis, P. pinea, P. domestica, P. pinaster, and P. radiata. Basal needles began to wilt, turn yellow, then red, and were discarded. F. circinatum was reisolated from stems of symptomatic seedlings. No symptoms were observed on seedlings of Pseudotsuga menziesii, P. sylvestris, P. excelsa, and P. nigra or on control seedlings. In Europe, pitch canker caused by F. circinatum previously has been reported only in Spain on P. radiata and P. pinaster (1). There was an unconfirmed report of this disease in Italy (http://www.eppo.org), but to our knowledge, this is the first definite conclusive evidence of the presence of pitch canker of pine in Italy

Characterization and pathogenicity of Plectosphaerella spp. collected from basil and parsley in Italy

From 2012–2016 plants of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and parsley (Petroselinum sativum Hoffm.) showing decline symptoms were collected from local markets in Foggia Province (southern Italy) and assessed to determine their main fungal pathogens. These plants showed symptoms including leaf yellowing, necrotic lesions on stems, collar and roots, and in some cases, stunting of entire plants. Mycological analyses revealed fungal isolates mainly belonging to the Plectosphaerella genus. Molecular and morphological studies identified four species of Plectosphaerella: Plectosphaerella cucumerina, P. pauciseptata, P. plurivora, and P. ramiseptata. To understand the pathogenic roles of these fungi, and five other reference Plectosphaerella spp., pathogenicity tests were performed in vitro and in-vivo using, respectively, detached leaves and 30-d-old plants of basil (cv. Napoletano) and parsley (cv. Gigante di Napoli). All the fungal species isolated produced host symptoms, including necrotic spots, parenchymatic patches, hydropic areas, collar and root discolouration on leaves and young plants, with varying severity. The most aggressive species on both plants were P. pauciseptata and P. ramiseptata, while P. alismatis, P. citrulli, P. cucumerina, P. delsorboi, P. melonis, and P. plurivora gave less disease severity on both plants. This is the first report worldwide of P. cucumerina, P. pauciseptata, and P. ramiseptata as pathogens of parsley, and P. pauciseptata, P. plurivora, and P. ramiseptata as pathogens of basil

Occurrence fungi causing black foot on young grapevines and nursery rootstock plants in Italy

Summary. Young grapevine plants with decline and wood necrosis symptoms were collected from vineyards and nurseries in the Apulia and Molise regions, Italy, from 2013 to 2015. Isolations of fungi were prepared from 45 diseased grapevine plants, and the cultures were identified. Several species commonly associated with Petri disease, Botryosphaeria dieback, and black foot disease were isolated. A detailed study was carried out, and 182 isolates resembling Cylindrocarpon-like asexual forms were identified through morphological characterisation and DNA analysis of internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 of the rRNA gene and the partial β-tubulin gene. Dactylonectria torrensensis and Ilyonectria liriodendri were identified based on morphological features and the partial histone 3 gene, so these fungi can be defined as the causal agents of black foot on grapevine for the first time in Italy. Thelonectria blackeriella is also described as a new species, through morphological characterisation and multigenic analysis using sequence data for five loci (large subunit RNA, internal transcribed spacers, β-tubulin, actin, RNA polymerase II subunit 1). This new species was associated with black foot symptoms according to preliminary pathogenicity tests, with representative isolates of each of the three species. Pathogenicity tests showed that these species can cause black streaking in the wood of 1-year-old grapevine rootstock shoots. The identification of D. torresensis, I. liriodendri and T. blackeriella from young grapevine plants and rooted rootstock highlights the importance of black foot disease in Italy, which has previously been overlooked

HPLC-HRMS global metabolomics approach for the diagnosis of "olive quick decline syndrome" markers in olive trees leaves

10openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorOlive quick decline syndrome (OQDS) is a multifactorial disease affecting olive plants. The onset of this economically devastating disease has been associated with a Gram-negative plant pathogen called Xylella fastidiosa (Xf). Liquid chromatography separation coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry detection is one the most widely applied technologies in metabolomics, as it provides a blend of rapid, sensitive, and selective qualitative and quantitative analyses with the ability to identify metabolites. The purpose of this work is the development of a global metabolomics mass spectrometry assay able to identify OQDS molecular markers that could discriminate between healthy (HP) and infected (OP) olive tree leaves. Results obtained via multivariate analysis through an HPLC-ESI HRMS platform (LTQ-Orbitrap from Thermo Scientific) show a clear separation between HP and OP samples. Among the differentially expressed metabolites, 18 different organic compounds highly expressed in the OP group were annotated; results obtained by this metabolomic approach could be used as a fast and reliable method for the biochemical characterization of OQDS and to develop targeted MS approaches for OQDS detection by foliage analysisopenAsteggiano, A.; Franceschi, P.; Zorzi, M.; Aigotti, R.; Dal Bello, F.; Baldassarre, F.; Lops, F.; Carlucci, A.; Medana, C.; Ciccarella, G.Asteggiano, A.; Franceschi, P.; Zorzi, M.; Aigotti, R.; Dal Bello, F.; Baldassarre, F.; Lops, F.; Carlucci, A.; Medana, C.; Ciccarella, G

Management of Branched Broomrape in Field Processing Tomato Crop

In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in land area used for tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) in many countries around the world. The essential role is played by Italy at a worldwide level as the country with the third biggest production of tomatoes for processing. Phelipanche ramosa (L) Pomel, commonly known as branched broomrape, is a root holoparasitic weed for many crops, particularly for the processing tomato. Due to its physical and metabolic overlap with the crop, its underground parasitism, and hardly destructible seed bank, the control of this parasite in the field is difficult. Results of research studies, many of them on environmental-friendly methods such as preventive, agronomic, and biological carried out in southern Italy, are discussed and summarized. The results can constitute a relevant basis for further experimental studies

A real time loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RealAmp) assay for rapid detection of Pleurostoma richardsiae in declining olive plants

Pleurostoma richardsiae is associated with host trunk diseases, known to cause dieback, cankers and wilting of woody trees, and human infections. This fungus was isolated from wood tissues of declining olive trees and grapevines showing esca disease symptoms, in the Apulia region of Italy. Fungus detection has been based on morphological and molecular features, which are time-consuming to identify and require well-trained personnel. Improvement of Pl. richardsiae detection in olive was achieved through development of real time loop-mediated isothermal amplification targeting the intergenic spacer (IGS) region of the fungus. Specificity of the assay was confirmed using ten Pl. richardsiae strains and 36 other fungus strains of species usually isolated from declining olive trees. The achieved limit of detection was 7.5 × 10-2 ng μL-1 of Pl. richardsiae genomic DNA. A preliminary validation of RealAmp was also performed using material from infected olive plants artificially inoculated in a greenhouse

Highlight selection of radiochemistry and radiopharmacy developments by editorial board

Background: The Editorial Board of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry releases a biannual highlight commentary to update the readership on trends in the field of radiopharmaceutical development. Main Body: This commentary of highlights has resulted in 21 different topics selected by each coauthoring Editorial Board member addressing a variety of aspects ranging from novel radiochemistry to first in man application of novel radiopharmaceuticals. Conclusion: Trends in radiochemistry and radiopharmacy are highlighted demonstrating the progress in the research field in various topics including new PET-labelling methods, FAPI-tracers and imaging, and radionuclide therapy being the scope of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry

Procalcitonin Is Not a Reliable Biomarker of Bacterial Coinfection in People With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Undergoing Microbiological Investigation at the Time of Hospital Admission

Abstract Admission procalcitonin measurements and microbiology results were available for 1040 hospitalized adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (from 48 902 included in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections Consortium World Health Organization Clinical Characterisation Protocol UK study). Although procalcitonin was higher in bacterial coinfection, this was neither clinically significant (median [IQR], 0.33 [0.11–1.70] ng/mL vs 0.24 [0.10–0.90] ng/mL) nor diagnostically useful (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.56 [95% confidence interval, .51–.60]).</jats:p