Stem cankers and twig dieback were the most serious disease of fig (Ficus carica) and loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) noticed in a survey of fruit tree orchards in the Fars Province, Iran. Isolates of Bionectriaceae were consistently recovered from symptomatic fig and loquat trees. Phylogenetic analyses of multiple nuclear loci, internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) of rDNA, RNA polymerase II subunit 2 (rpb2), and translation elongation factor 1-α (tef1), combined with morphological observations, revealed that isolates could be referred to a still unknown taxon, which was formally described as Stilbocrea banihashemiana sp. nov. Phylogenetically, isolates from fig and loquat trees clustered in a well-supported monophyletic group within the Stilbocrea clade of Bionectriaceae, closely related to S. walteri. Stilbocrea banihashemiana sp. nov. was characterized by the lack of stilbella-like asexual structure in both natural substrates and pure cultures and produced two morphologically distinct types of conidia, globose and cylindrical, formed on short and long simple phialides. In pathogenicity tests, S. banihashemiana sp. nov. induced stem cankers in both fig and loquat, wood discoloration in fig and twig dieback in loquat. Pathogenicity tests also showed that the potential host range of this novel pathogen includes other economically relevant horticultural trees.

Edible fig (Ficus carica, family Moraceae) is probably native to southwest Asia, with Iran, one of the world's top fig-producing countries, behind Turkey, Morocco, Greece and Spain, with 107,791 tonnes of fig production annually (FAO, 2020). Fars Province, in southern Iran, has appropriate conditions for growing organic dried figs. The province is Iran's leading dried fig producer and 51,000 ha are devoted to fig cultivation in its arid and semi-arid regions (Jafari et al., 2018). The dominant commercial organic dried fig cultivar in Iran is the Smyrna fig cultivar Sabz, making up 95% of fig cultivation (Zare & Jalili, 2020).Fig canker is the most critical and devastating disease of edible figs (Banihashemi & Javadi, 2009). In a recent survey, a high occurrence of canker was observed in fig orchards in Fars Province. It has become a widespread syndrome among fig orchards in southern Iran, particularly for cv. Sabz. The pathogen leads to well-developed lesions on the trunk and branches, death of bark and woody tissues, limb dieback, leaf yellowing, defoliation, and consequently, death of the fig trees. Based on morphological identification, Phomopsis cinerascens (syn. Diaporthe cinerascens) was reported as the causal agent of fig canker in Fars Province, Iran (Banihashemi & Javadi, 2009). No curative fungicides or effective and economical management methods are available for fig canker control (Mostowfizadeh- . The only options are either to remove infected tissues or to delay pruning until late in the dormant season (from March to early April), when wound susceptibility tends to be lower (Banihashemi & Javadi, 2009). Several studies have investigated the possibility of using tolerant or resistant cultivars for canker disease management of the economic fruit trees, including

During 2018-2021, a survey was conducted in rainfed fig (Ficus carica L.) orchards throughout the Fars Province of Iran to investigate the occurrence of canker diseases, and to identify the causal organisms. Morphological and cultural characteristics, as well as multilocus phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA, RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2), and the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1), revealed that the recovered isolates from the infected fig trees clustered in clade 3 of Neocosmospora (Nectriaceae), including N. metavorans, and a new taxon described here as N. caricae sp. nov. Neocosmospora caricae is characterised by falcate, multiseptate, gently dorsoventrally curved macroconidia with poorly developed foot-shaped basal cells, ovoid, aseptate microconidia that cluster in false heads, and abundant terminal or intercalary chlamydospores. Pathogenicity tests indicated that isolates of both Neocosmospora species were pathogenic, causing stem canker and wood discolouration on fig saplings of "Sabz" and "Shah Anjeer" cultivars. The present study adds to existing knowledge on the aetiology of fig stem and trunk canker, and may provide essential information for developing effective integrated management strategies against canker diseases affecting fig orchards in Iran.

This chapter provides a detailed description of the primary bacterial, fungal and nematode diseases of fig trees and fruits and the efficacy of individual control methods, including the integrated disease management approach.