Characterization of monilia disease caused by Monilinia linhartiana on quince in southern Spain

Abstract

This study elucidates the aetiology and epidemiology of monilia disease of quince caused by the fungus Monilinia linhartiana in Spain. Disease incidence and the dynamics of apothecial development and ascospore discharge were quantified and the pathogen was characterized using morphological and molecular methods. The pathogen did not produce conidia or apothecia on agar media but produced conidia on leaves showing symptoms and apothecia on mummified young quince fruit. Monilinia linhartiana was not pathogenic on ripe quince fruit but was readily isolated from developing, mummified fruit (pseudosclerotia). Phylogenetic analysis based on 5AE8S-ITS region sequences placed M. linhartiana in the Disjuntoriae section of Monilinia species infecting rosaceous hosts. Studies during 2004-2008 in four commercial orchards in southern Spain determined two major infection periods for the disease. The first coincided with the unfolding of the first leaves and resulted in leaf blotch and shoot blight. The second coincided with flowering and led to mummification of developing young fruit. Foliar infection was apparently initiated by airborne ascospores produced on pseudosclerotia that overwintered on the soil surface, while flower infection was probably initiated by conidia produced on leaf lesions. Incidence of diseased shoots ranged from 1 to 91% and was correlated with calculated inoculum potential, based on the density and maturity of apothecia formed on pseudosclerotia. This epidemiological study has made it possible to characterize the life cycle of monilia disease on quince in southern Spain, which will help the development of new control strategies.

Determination of Mold Diversity of Some Fruits Sold in Eastern Turkey

“…In a study conducted by Ürey (2012), it was determined that approximately 40% of different quince orchards in Edirne had Monilia disease. Similarly, in another study carried out in Spain, Monilinia linhartiana was stated to be the common mold type in quince orchards (Moral et al, 2011). The fact that Monilinia genus could not be isolated in this study shows that an effective protection method is applied against this species in quince orchards.…”

Monilia and Monilinia : In silico genetic analysis of plant pathogenic fungi

“…1) causing blossom blight of flowers, brown rot on fruits, canker and gummosis of tree trunk (Yildiz and Ozkilinc, 2021). M. linhartiana [Saccardo, P.A., 1883] (Table 2) was reported to infect mainly the quince (Cydonia oblonga) (Moral et al, 2011;Martini et al, 2014;Lantos and Petróczy, 2016) (Fig. 1.B).…”

“…genetically. E.g., an ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 analysis (Moral et al, 2011) indicated a strict host plant preference and plantpathogen interactions (Gullner and Kömives, 2001;Szabó et al, 2023).…”

“…The study of Moral et al, (2011) discriminated Monilia mumecola and all the Monilinia species in to two groups of infected plant families based on the conidia structures, described by Honey (1936) (Moral et al, 2011).…”

The Diversity of Fungi Involved in Damage to Japanese Quince

“…Some of these fungi are well-known plant pathogens: B. cinerea has been detected and isolated from C. japonica in Sweden [ 5 , 16 ], Lithuania [ 17 ], and Russia [ 18 ]; Monilinia fructigena was found on C. japonica fruits in the Moscow region [ 18 ] and Sweden [ 16 ]; M . cydonia has been found to damage flowers in Russia [ 18 ], and M. linhartiana was found to be the pathogen responsible for fruit rot of Cydonia oblonga in Spain [ 19 ].…”