In this note Cadophora malorum infections on asparagus plants cultivated in different localities in the
Foggia area (southern Italy) are reported. Pathogenicity tests demostrated that C. malorum showed the capacity to
infect healthy plants of asparagus even if this capacity is less pronounced than that of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.
asparagi and F. proliferatum

Frisullo, Salvatore

Firenze University Press: E-Journals

148 Phytopathologia Mediterranea
Phytopathol. Mediterr. (2002) 41, 148–151
Introduction
Root rot, decline and wilt of Asparagus offici-
nalis L. are caused by soil-borne pathogens wide-
spread throughout the world. These diseases rep-
resent a serious constraint to asparagus produc-
tion in several areas of northern Apulia, southern
Italy. Infected plants show loss of vigor, stunting,
wilting and darkening of foliage. Yield losses of
about 5–10% are common and, in addition, severe
infections result in poor crop quality. Several path-
ogens have been implicated in the etiology of these
soil diseases, including Fusarium proliferatum
(1) Dedicated to Prof. A. Graniti on the occasion of his 75th birthday
To correspond with the author:
Fax: +39 0881 740211
E-mail: S.Frisullo@ unifg.it
First report of Cadophora malorum on
Asparagus officinalis in Italy(1)
SALVATORE FRISULLO
Istituto di Produzioni e Preparazioni Alimentari, Università, Via Napoli 25, 71100 Foggia, Italy
Summary. In this note Cadophora malorum infections on asparagus plants cultivated in different localities in the
Foggia area (southern Italy) are reported. Pathogenicity tests demostrated that C. malorum showed the capacity to
infect healthy plants of asparagus even if this capacity is less pronounced than that of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.
asparagi and F. proliferatum.
Key words: asparagus, root rot, decline, wilt, Phialophora malorum.
(Matsushima) Nirenberg (Elmer, 1995; Schreuder
et al., 1995), F. oxysporum Schlecht f. sp. asparagi
(Cohen and Heald 1941), Phytophthora megasper-
ma Drech, P. megasperma var. sojae A.A. Hilde-
brand, P. richardiae Buisman and P. cactorum (Leb-
ert & Cohn) J. Schrot. (Molot, 1962; Boesewinkel,
1974; Falloon, 1982; Fantino and Ponti, 1990). In
this paper, the occurrence of another fungus, Ca-
dophora malorum (Kidd & Beaumont) W. Gams [=
Phialophora malorum (Kidd & Beaumont) McCol-
loch] in asparagus is reported.
Materials and methods
Samples from 1,750 plants were randomly tak-
en from 58 fields in southern Italy (Foggia prov-
ince) during the springs of 1997 and 1998. Thirty
infected plants were selected from each field for
isolation of fungi.
SHORT NOTES
149Vol. 41, No. 2, August 2002
Cadophora malorum on asparagus in Italy
Fig. 1. a) Asparagus plant artificially inoculated with Cadophora malorum; b) young asparagus spears ready to be
harvested; c), d), e), spears with natural infections of C. malorum; f) colony of C. malorum; g) phialides of C. malorum.
150 Phytopathologia Mediterranea
S. Frisullo
Small segments of roots and spears were washed
in running water for 2 h and then surface sterilized
by immersion for 1 min in 75% ethanol, 3 min in 3%
sodium hypochlorite and 0.5 min in 75% ethanol.
Portions approx. 0.5 cm long were placed on Petri
dishes containing potato dextrose agar (PDA) or
1.5% Oxoid malt extract agar (MEA) (Difco, Detroit,
MI, USA) supplemented with 250 mg l-1 streptomy-
cin sulphate to suppress bacterial growth.
Fungi isolated from the root and spear seg-
ments were directly identified by microscopic ex-
amination. For more rigorous identification and
pathogenicity tests, monoconidial colonies were
prepared and stored at 4°C.
Pathogenicity tests were performed in a green-
house at 22±2°C, using healthy asparagus seed-
lings cv. UC 72. These plants, six weeks old, 15
cm tall, were removed from their plastic pots
(81212) containing a sterilized and fertilized
1:1 peat-sand mixture, and inoculated by immer-
sion of their roots for 3 min in water suspensions
containing 5106 cfu ml-1 of one of the following
fungi, all preserved in the Istituto di Produzioni
e Preparazioni Alimentari, Bari (Italy) collection:
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. asparagi (strain IPPA
129), F. proliferatum (strain IPPA 132), and Ca-
dophora (=Phialophora) malorum (strain IPPA
140) previously grown on PDA for 30 days at 25°C.
All plants were then planted in new plastic pots
containing the same type of peat-sand mixture
used before the inoculation. The control plants
were placed in plastic pots after their roots were
soaked for 3 min in sterile water. In the patho-
genicity tests, 4 replicates per isolate were used.
All test plants were finally harvested 18 weeks
after inoculation and examined.
Results
Several Fusarium isolates (43% of total fun-
gus isolates), mostly F. solani, F. oxysporum, and
F. proliferatum, were obtained from the aspara-
gus spears and roots. Another fungus, C. malo-
rum was frequently isolated (27%) from the vas-
cular root tissue of crowns and spears of several
naturally infected asparagus plants. Identification
of C. malorum was achieved by microscopic ob-
servation of the colonies after 20 days the growth
in vitro on MEA at 22°C according to Schol-
Schwarz (1970). Colonies were 3.5 cm diameter,
olivaceous from underneath, with scant, pale-oli-
vaceous aerial mycelium. Phialides occurred sin-
gly or in clusters on stalk-cells, and were slender,
flask-shaped, hyaline, 5–12.52–2.5 µm; stalks
with sturdy verticillate phialides were observed in
old cultures. Conidia were predominantly ellipsoid
and slightly apiculate 4–62–3 µm, but sometimes
cylindrical or somewhat curved. The chlamy-
dospores described as typical of this species by
Schol-Schwarz (1970) were not observed. Other
isolates obtained from asparagus plants in all the
fields surveyed belonged to the following genera:
Alternaria, Epicoccum, Stemphylium, Phoma, Py-
thium, Rhizoctonia, Cladosporium and Mucor.
The isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. asparagi and
F. proliferatum were very virulent, infecting 90%
of the plants in the pathogenicity test. They colo-
nized both vascular and epidermal tissues and
caused stem, crown and root rot, and eventually
the death of affected plants. The isolate of C. malo-
rum infected only 20% of tested plants. The main
symptom induced was a brownish discoloration
which extended from the roots to the hypocotyl,
sometimes 10–15 cm above the soil surface. Con-
trol plants remained symptomless.
Discussion
The present study shows that Fusarium solani,
F. oxysporum f. sp. asparagi and F. proliferatum
are the predominant pathogens of asparagus
spears in the area investigated. The last two spe-
cies killed the asparagus plants in the pathogenic-
ity tests.
The finding that C. malorum causes wilting in
asparagus when it occurs together with F. oxyspo-
rum f. sp. asparagi and F. proliferatum indicates
that all the above fungi contribute to asparagus
decline. No attempt was made at this time to in-
oculate the plants with species of Fusarium and
C. malorum simultaneously.
This study provides evidence for considering
C. malorum, hitherto not known as a pathogen of
asparagus, as one of the causes of decline of this
crop in southern Italy.
Literature cited
Boesewinkel H.J., 1974. Phytophthora of asparagus in New
Zealand. Plant Disease Reporter 58, 525–529.
Cohen S.I. and F.D. Heald, 1941. A wilt and root rot of
151Vol. 41, No. 2, August 2002
Cadophora malorum on asparagus in Italy
asparagus caused by Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht.
Plant Disease Reporter 25, 503–509.
Elmer W.H., 1995. A single population of Gibberella fu-
jkuroi (Fusarium proliferatum) predominates in aspar-
agus fields in Connectticut, Massachusetts, and Mich-
igan. Mycologia 87, 68–71.
Falloon P.G., 1982. Baiting, pathogenity, and distribution
of Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae in New Zea-
land in asparagus soils. New Zealand Journal of Agri-
culture Research 25, 25–429.
Fantino M.G. and I. Ponti, 1990. Nuova minaccia per
Accepted for publication: May 13, 2002
l’asparago: il marciume basale causato da Phytophtho-
ra. L’Informatore Agrario 46, 75–76.
Molot P., 1962. Les maladies cryptogamiques de l’asperge.
Revue de Zoologie Agricole et de Pathologie Végétale
61, 71–76.
Schol-Schwarz M.B., 1970. Revision of the genus Phialo-
phora (Moniliales). Persoonia 6, 559–94.
Schreuder W., S.C. Lamprecht, W.F.O. Marasas, F.J. Cal-
itz, 1995. Pathogenicity of three Fusarium species as-
sociated with asparagus decline in South Africa. Plant
Disease 79, 177–181.


First report of «Cadophora malorum» on «Asparagus officinalis» in Italy

Salvatore Frisullo

Directory of Open Access Journals

148 Phytopathologia MediterraneaPhytopathol. Mediterr. (2002) 41, 148–151IntroductionRoot rot, decline and wilt of Asparagus offici-nalis L. are caused by soil-borne pathogens wide-spread throughout the world. These diseases rep-resent a serious constraint to asparagus produc-tion in several areas of northern Apulia, southernItaly. Infected plants show loss of vigor, stunting,wilting and darkening of foliage. Yield losses ofabout 5–10% are common and, in addition, severeinfections result in poor crop quality. Several path-ogens have been implicated in the etiology of thesesoil diseases, including Fusarium proliferatum(1) Dedicated to Prof. A. Graniti on the occasion of his 75th birthdayTo correspond with the author:Fax: +39 0881 740211E-mail: S.Frisullo@ unifg.itFirst report of Cadophora malorum onAsparagus officinalis in Italy(1)SALVATORE FRISULLOIstituto di Produzioni e Preparazioni Alimentari, Università, Via Napoli 25, 71100 Foggia, ItalySummary. In this note Cadophora malorum infections on asparagus plants cultivated in different localities in theFoggia area (southern Italy) are reported. Pathogenicity tests demostrated that C. malorum showed the capacity toinfect healthy plants of asparagus even if this capacity is less pronounced than that of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.asparagi and F. proliferatum.Key words: asparagus, root rot, decline, wilt, Phialophora malorum.(Matsushima) Nirenberg (Elmer, 1995; Schreuderet al., 1995), F. oxysporum Schlecht f. sp. asparagi(Cohen and Heald 1941), Phytophthora megasper-ma Drech, P. megasperma var. sojae A.A. Hilde-brand, P. richardiae Buisman and P. cactorum (Leb-ert & Cohn) J. Schrot. (Molot, 1962; Boesewinkel,1974; Falloon, 1982; Fantino and Ponti, 1990). Inthis paper, the occurrence of another fungus, Ca-dophora malorum (Kidd & Beaumont) W. Gams [=Phialophora malorum (Kidd & Beaumont) McCol-loch] in asparagus is reported.Materials and methodsSamples from 1,750 plants were randomly tak-en from 58 fields in southern Italy (Foggia prov-ince) during the springs of 1997 and 1998. Thirtyinfected plants were selected from each field forisolation of fungi.SHORT NOTES149Vol. 41, No. 2, August 2002Cadophora malorum on asparagus in ItalyFig. 1. a) Asparagus plant artificially inoculated with Cadophora malorum; b) young asparagus spears ready to beharvested; c), d), e), spears with natural infections of C. malorum; f) colony of C. malorum; g) phialides of C. malorum.150 Phytopathologia MediterraneaS. FrisulloSmall segments of roots and spears were washedin running water for 2 h and then surface sterilizedby immersion for 1 min in 75% ethanol, 3 min in 3%sodium hypochlorite and 0.5 min in 75% ethanol.Portions approx. 0.5 cm long were placed on Petridishes containing potato dextrose agar (PDA) or1.5% Oxoid malt extract agar (MEA) (Difco, Detroit,MI, USA) supplemented with 250 mg l-1 streptomy-cin sulphate to suppress bacterial growth.Fungi isolated from the root and spear seg-ments were directly identified by microscopic ex-amination. For more rigorous identification andpathogenicity tests, monoconidial colonies wereprepared and stored at 4°C.Pathogenicity tests were performed in a green-house at 22±2°C, using healthy asparagus seed-lings cv. UC 72. These plants, six weeks old, 15cm tall, were removed from their plastic pots(81212) containing a sterilized and fertilized1:1 peat-sand mixture, and inoculated by immer-sion of their roots for 3 min in water suspensionscontaining 5106 cfu ml-1 of one of the followingfungi, all preserved in the Istituto di Produzionie Preparazioni Alimentari, Bari (Italy) collection:Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. asparagi (strain IPPA129), F. proliferatum (strain IPPA 132), and Ca-dophora (=Phialophora) malorum (strain IPPA140) previously grown on PDA for 30 days at 25°C.All plants were then planted in new plastic potscontaining the same type of peat-sand mixtureused before the inoculation. The control plantswere placed in plastic pots after their roots weresoaked for 3 min in sterile water. In the patho-genicity tests, 4 replicates per isolate were used.All test plants were finally harvested 18 weeksafter inoculation and examined.ResultsSeveral Fusarium isolates (43% of total fun-gus isolates), mostly F. solani, F. oxysporum, andF. proliferatum, were obtained from the aspara-gus spears and roots. Another fungus, C. malo-rum was frequently isolated (27%) from the vas-cular root tissue of crowns and spears of severalnaturally infected asparagus plants. Identificationof C. malorum was achieved by microscopic ob-servation of the colonies after 20 days the growthin vitro on MEA at 22°C according to Schol-Schwarz (1970). Colonies were 3.5 cm diameter,olivaceous from underneath, with scant, pale-oli-vaceous aerial mycelium. Phialides occurred sin-gly or in clusters on stalk-cells, and were slender,flask-shaped, hyaline, 5–12.52–2.5 µm; stalkswith sturdy verticillate phialides were observed inold cultures. Conidia were predominantly ellipsoidand slightly apiculate 4–62–3 µm, but sometimescylindrical or somewhat curved. The chlamy-dospores described as typical of this species bySchol-Schwarz (1970) were not observed. Otherisolates obtained from asparagus plants in all thefields surveyed belonged to the following genera:Alternaria, Epicoccum, Stemphylium, Phoma, Py-thium, Rhizoctonia, Cladosporium and Mucor.The isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. asparagi andF. proliferatum were very virulent, infecting 90%of the plants in the pathogenicity test. They colo-nized both vascular and epidermal tissues andcaused stem, crown and root rot, and eventuallythe death of affected plants. The isolate of C. malo-rum infected only 20% of tested plants. The mainsymptom induced was a brownish discolorationwhich extended from the roots to the hypocotyl,sometimes 10–15 cm above the soil surface. Con-trol plants remained symptomless.DiscussionThe present study shows that Fusarium solani,F. oxysporum f. sp. asparagi and F. proliferatumare the predominant pathogens of asparagusspears in the area investigated. The last two spe-cies killed the asparagus plants in the pathogenic-ity tests.The finding that C. malorum causes wilting inasparagus when it occurs together with F. oxyspo-rum f. sp. asparagi and F. proliferatum indicatesthat all the above fungi contribute to asparagusdecline. No attempt was made at this time to in-oculate the plants with species of Fusarium andC. malorum simultaneously.This study provides evidence for consideringC. malorum, hitherto not known as a pathogen ofasparagus, as one of the causes of decline of thiscrop in southern Italy.Literature citedBoesewinkel H.J., 1974. Phytophthora of asparagus in NewZealand. Plant Disease Reporter 58, 525–529.Cohen S.I. and F.D. Heald, 1941. A wilt and root rot of151Vol. 41, No. 2, August 2002Cadophora malorum on asparagus in Italyasparagus caused by Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht.Plant Disease Reporter 25, 503–509.Elmer W.H., 1995. A single population of Gibberella fu-jkuroi (Fusarium proliferatum) predominates in aspar-agus fields in Connectticut, Massachusetts, and Mich-igan. Mycologia 87, 68–71.Falloon P.G., 1982. Baiting, pathogenity, and distributionof Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae in New Zea-land in asparagus soils. New Zealand Journal of Agri-culture Research 25, 25–429.Fantino M.G. and I. Ponti, 1990. Nuova minaccia perAccepted for publication: May 13, 2002l’asparago: il marciume basale causato da Phytophtho-ra. L’Informatore Agrario 46, 75–76.Molot P., 1962. Les maladies cryptogamiques de l’asperge.Revue de Zoologie Agricole et de Pathologie Végétale61, 71–76.Schol-Schwarz M.B., 1970. Revision of the genus Phialo-phora (Moniliales). Persoonia 6, 559–94.Schreuder W., S.C. Lamprecht, W.F.O. Marasas, F.J. Cal-itz, 1995. Pathogenicity of three Fusarium species as-sociated with asparagus decline in South Africa. PlantDisease 79, 177–181.

First report of «Cadophora malorum» on «Asparagus officinalis» in Italy

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Firenze University Press: E-Journals

Directory of Open Access Journals