Fungal trunk diseases are some of the most destructive diseases of grapevine in all grape growing areas of the world. Management of GTDs has been intensively studied for decades with some great advances made in our understanding of the causal pathogens, their epidemiology, impact, and control. However, due to the breadth and complexity of the problem, no single effective control measure has been developed. Management of GTD must be holistic and integrated, with an interdisciplinary approach conducted in both nurseries and vineyards that integrates plant pathology, agronomy, viticulture, microbiology, epidemiology, biochemistry, physiology, and genetics. In this review, we identify a number of areas of future prospect for effective management of GTDs worldwide, which, if addressed, will provide a positive outlook on the longevity of vineyards in the future.

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Novel species of fungi described in the present study include the following from Malaysia: Castanediella eucalypti from Eucalyptus pellita, Codinaea acacia from Acacia mangium, Emarcea eucalyptigena from Eucalyptus brassiana, Myrtapenidiella eucalyptorum from Eucalyptus pellita, Pilidiella eucalyptigena from Eucalyptus brassiana and Strelitziana malaysiana from Acacia mangium. Furthermore, Stachybotrys sansevieriicola is described from Sansevieria ehrenbergii (Tanzania), Phacidium grevilleae from Grevillea robusta (Uganda), Graphium jumulu from Adansonia gregorii and Ophiostoma eucalyptigena from Eucalyptus marginata (Australia), Pleurophoma ossicola from bone and Plectosphaerella populi from Populus nigra (Germany), Colletotrichum neosansevieriae from Sansevieria trifasciata, Elsinoë othonnae from Othonna quinquedentata and Zeloasperisporium cliviae (Zeloasperisporiaceae fam. nov.) from Clivia sp. (South Africa), Neodevriesia pakbiae, Phaeophleospora hymenocallidis and Phaeophleospora hymenocallidicola on leaves of a fern (Thailand), Melanconium elaeidicola from Elaeis guineensis (Indonesia), Hormonema viticola from Vitis vinifera (Canary Islands), Chlorophyllum pseudoglobossum from a grassland (India), Triadelphia disseminata from an immunocompromised patient (Saudi Arabia), Colletotrichum abscissum from Citrus (Brazil), Polyschema sclerotigenum and Phialemonium limoniforme from human patients (USA), Cadophora vitícola from Vitis vinifera (Spain), Entoloma flavovelutinum and Bolbitius aurantiorugosus from soil (Vietnam), Rhizopogon granuloflavus from soil (Cape Verde Islands), Tulasnella eremophila from Euphorbia officinarum subsp. echinus (Morocco), Verrucostoma martinicensis from Danaea elliptica (French West Indies), Metschnikowia colchici from Colchicum autumnale (Bulgaria), Thelebolus microcarpus from soil (Argentina) and Ceratocystis adelpha from Theobroma cacao (Ecuador). Myrmecridium iridis (Myrmecridiales ord. nov., Myrmecridiaceae fam. nov.) is also described from Iris sp. (The Netherlands). Novel genera include (Ascomycetes): Budhanggurabania from Cynodon dactylon (Australia), Soloacrosporiella, Xenocamarosporium, Neostrelitziana and Castanediella from Acacia mangium and Sabahriopsis from Eucalyptus brassiana (Malaysia), Readerielliopsis from basidiomata of Fuscoporia wahlbergii (French Guyana), Neoplatysporoides from Aloe ferox (Tanzania), Wojnowiciella, Chrysofolia and Neoeriomycopsis from Eucalyptus (Colombia), Neophaeomoniella from Eucalyptus globulus (USA), Pseudophaeomoniella from Olea europaea (Italy), Paraphaeomoniella from Encephalartos altensteinii, Aequabiliella, Celerioriella and Minutiella from Prunus (South Africa). Tephrocybella (Basidiomycetes) represents a novel genus from wood (Italy). Morphological and culture characteristics along with ITS DNA barcodes are provided for all taxa.

Recent publications have argued that there are potentially serious consequences for researchers in recognising distinct genera in the terminal fusarioid clade of the family Nectriaceae . Thus, an alternate hypothesis, namely a very broad concept of the genus Fusarium was proposed. In doing so, however, a significant body of data that supports distinct genera in Nectriaceae based on morphology, biology, and phylogeny is disregarded. A DNA phylogeny based on 19 orthologous protein-coding genes was presented to support a very broad concept of Fusarium at the F1 node in Nectriaceae . Here, we demonstrate that re-analyses of this dataset show that all 19 genes support the F3 node that represents Fusarium sensu stricto as defined by F. sambucinum (sexual morph synonym Gibberella pulicaris ). The backbone of the phylogeny is resolved by the concatenated alignment, but only six of the 19 genes fully support the F1 node, representing the broad circumscription of Fusarium. Furthermore, a re-analysis of the concatenated dataset revealed alternate topologies in different phylogenetic algorithms, highlighting the deep divergence and unresolved placement of various Nectriaceae lineages proposed as members of Fusarium . Species of Fusarium s. str. are characterised by Gibberella sexual morphs, asexual morphs with thin- or thick-walled macroconidia that have variously shaped apical and basal cells, and trichothecene mycotoxin production, which separates them from other fusarioid genera. Here we show that the Wollenweber concept of Fusarium presently accounts for 20 segregate genera with clear-cut synapomorphic traits, and that fusarioid macroconidia represent a character that has been gained or lost multiple times throughout Nectriaceae . Thus, the very broad circumscription of Fusarium is blurry and without apparent synapomorphies, and does not include all genera with fusarium-like macroconidia, which are spread throughout Nectriaceae ( e.g. , Cosmosporella , Macroconia , Microcera ). In this study four new genera are introduced, along with 18 new species and 16 new combinations. These names convey information about relationships, morphology, and ecological preference that would otherwise be lost in a broader definition of Fusarium . To assist users to correctly identify fusarioid genera and species, we introduce a new online identification database, Fusarioid-ID, accessible at www.fusarium.org . The database comprises partial sequences from multiple genes commonly used to identify fusarioid taxa ( ...

Severe decline of almond trees has recently been observed in several orchards on the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean Sea). However, the identity of the causal agents has not yet been investigated. Between August 2008 and June 2010, wood samples from branches of almond trees showing internal necroses and brown to black vascular streaking were collected in the Llevant region on the island of Mallorca. Several fungal species were subsequently isolated from the margin between healthy and symptomatic tissue. Five species of Botryosphaeriaceae (namely Botryosphaeria dothidea, Diplodia olivarum, D. seriata, Neofusicoccum australe and N. parvum), Eutypa lata, Phaeoacremonium iranianum and Phomopsis amygdali were identified based on morphology, culture characteristics and DNA sequence comparisons. Neofusicoccum parvum was the dominant species, followed by E. lata, D. olivarum and N. australe. First reports from almond include D. olivarum and Pm. iranianum. Two species are newly described, namely Collophora hispanica sp. nov. and Phaeoacremonium amygdalinum sp. nov.

Species of Diaporthe are considered important plant pathogens, saprobes, and endophytes on a wide range of plant hosts. Several species are well-known on grapevines, either as agents of pre- or post-harvest infections, including Phomopsis cane and leaf spot, cane bleaching, swelling arm and trunk cankers. In this study we explore the occurrence, diversity and pathogenicity of Diaporthe spp. associated with Vitis vinifera in major grape production areas of Europe and Israel, focusing on nurseries and vineyards. Surveys were conducted in Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Spain and the UK. A total of 175 Diaporthe strains were isolated from asymptomatic and symptomatic shoots, branches and trunks. A multi-locus phylogeny was established based on five genomic loci (ITS, tef1, cal, his3 and tub2), and the morphological characters of the isolates were determined. Preliminary pathogenicity tests were performed on green grapevine shoots with representative isolates. The most commonly isolated species were D. eres and D. ampelina. Four new Diaporthe species described here as D. bohemiae, D. celeris, D. hispaniae and D. hungariae were found associated with affected vines. Pathogenicity tests revealed D. baccae, D. celeris, D. hispaniae and D. hungariae as pathogens of grapevines. No symptoms were caused by D. bohemiae. This study represents the first report of D. ambigua and D. baccae on grapevines in Europe. The present study improves our understanding of the species associated with several disease symptoms on V. vinifera plants, and provides useful information for effective disease management.

The microbiota colonizing the rhizosphere and the endorhizosphere contribute to plant growth, productivity, carbon sequestration, and phytoremediation. Several studies suggested that different plants types and even genotypes of the same plant species harbor partially different microbiomes. Here, we characterize the rhizosphere bacterial and fungal microbiota across five grapevine rootstock genotypes cultivated in the same soil at two vineyards and sampling dates over 2 years by 16S rRNA gene and ITS high-throughput amplicon sequencing. In addition, we use quantitative PCR (qPCR) approach to measure the relative abundance and dynamic changes of fungal pathogens associated with black-foot disease. The objectives were to (1) unravel the effects of rootstock genotype on microbial communities in the rhizosphere of grapevine and (2) to compare the relative abundances of sequence reads and DNA amount of black-foot disease pathogens. Host genetic control of the microbiome was evident in the rhizosphere of the mature vineyard. Microbiome composition also shifted as year of sampling, and fungal diversity varied with sampling moments. Linear discriminant analysis identified specific bacterial (i.e., Bacillus ) and fungal (i.e., Glomus ) taxa associated with grapevine rootstocks. Host genotype did not predict any summary metrics of rhizosphere α- and β-diversity in the young vineyard. Regarding black-foot associated pathogens, a significant correlation between sequencing reads and qPCR was observed. In conclusion, grapevine rootstock genotypes in the mature vineyard were associated with different rhizosphere microbiomes. The latter could also have been affected by age of the vineyard, soil properties or field management practices. A more comprehensive study is needed to decipher the cause of the rootstock microbiome selection and the mechanisms by which grapevines are able to shape their associated microbial community. Understanding the vast diversity of bacteria and fungi in the rhizosphere and the interactions between microbiota and grapevine will facilitate the development of future strategies for grapevine protection.

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