New and unexpected host associations for Diplodia sapinea in the Western Balkans

Abstract

Diplodia sapinea is an important pathogen of pine trees in plantations and urban areas in many parts of the world. This pathogen has recently also been isolated from diseased Cedrus atlantica, C. deodara and Picea omorika planted as ornamentals across the Western Balkans. The aim of this study was to consider the host range of D. sapinea in Serbia and Montenegro. Diplodia sapinea was identified from a broader collection of Botryosphaeriaceae from the Western Balkans region, based on the DNA sequence data for the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA and the translation elongation factor 1α (TEF 1α). The D. sapinea isolates were obtained from sixteen tree species in the genera Abies, Cedrus, Chamaecyparis, Juniperus, Picea, Pinus, Pseudotsuga and Fagus. Four species represented new hosts in the Balkans, and this is the first report of D. sapinea from F. sylvatica anywhere in the world. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on the tree hosts from which D. sapinea was isolated, as well as on P. abies, Thuja occidentalis, Prunus laurocerasus, Eucalyptus grandis and P. patula. Inoculations were made on seedlings in the field, in the greenhouse or on freshly detached branches.Inoculations on P. pungens, P. omorika, P. abies, P. menziesii, A. concolor, P. nigra and P. sylvestris resulted in death of the seedlings 5-16 weeks after inoculation. Diplodia sapinea produced lesions on J. horizontalis and P. patula seedlings and F. sylvatica cut branches. Reciprocal inoculations showed that D. sapinea is not a pine-specific pathogen, causing disease on tree species, including those from which it had not been isolated. Not surprisingly, the pathogen was most aggressive on some species of Pinaceae.

Host specificity of co‐infecting Botryosphaeriaceae on ornamental and forest trees in the Western Balkans

“…Diplodia pinea , Sphaeropsis sapinea ), which shows a host preference mainly on Pinus , but is also found on Abies , Picea and Pseudotsuga (Pinales: Pinaceae); Diplodia scrobiculata associated with Pinus banksiana , P. resinosa and P. greggii (Pinales: Pinaceae); Diplodia cupressi isolated from Cupressus and Juniperus spp. (Pinales: Cupressaceae); Diplodia tsugae isolated only from Tsuga heterophylla (Pinales: Pinaceae); and Phaeobotryon cupressi isolated from Cupressus sempervirens and Juniperus scopulorum (Pinales: Cupressaceae) (De Wet et al., ; Phillips et al., ; Slippers et al., ; Zlatković, Keča, Wingfield, Jami, & Slippers, ).…”

“…In contrast to a large number of studies investigating the Botryosphaeriaceae diversity and impact in the Mediterranean region (MR) and in the tropics (e.g., Alves, Linaldeddu, Deidda, Scanu, & Phillips, ; Burgess, Barber, & Hardy, ; Jami et al., ; Rodas, Slippers, Gryzenhout, & Wingfield, ), less attention has been given to the Botryosphaeriaceae occurring in the Continental climate‐type region (CR). Apart from some recent studies from the Balkans (e.g., Piškur et al., ; Zlatković, Keča, Wingfield, Jami, & Slippers, ; Zlatković et al., , ), most research on the Botryosphaeriaceae conducted in the CR has been focused on the pine pathogen, D. sapinea (e.g., Jankovský & Palovćiková, ; Karadžić & Milijašević, ; Fabre et al., ; Adamson et al., ).…”

“…In the Western Balkans, N. parvum , Botryosphaeria dothidea and D. seriata have been found to cause disease on V. vinifera , Malus domestica and Olea europaea (Kaliterna, Milicevic, Bencic, & Duralija, ; Kaliterna, Milicevic, Ivic, Bencic, & Mesic, ; Latinović, Mazzaglia, Latinović, Ivanović, & Gleason, ; Vasić, Duduk, Vico, & Ivanović, ). Furthermore, a large number of Botryosphaeriaceae species have recently been found on various diseased trees in this region, including B. dothidea , N. parvum , D. sapinea , Diplodia mutila , D. seriata , Dothiorella sarmentorum , Dothiorella sp., Dothiorella omnivora , P. cupressi and S. visci (Zlatković et al., ,b, ). These species have been found associated with both angiosperms and gymnosperms belonging to various families, that is Rosaceae, Fagaceae, Cupressaceae, Pinaceae, Oleaceae, Sapindaceae, Santalaceae, Pittosporaceae and Myrtaceae.…”

“…A selection of these isolates and isolates of the Botryosphaeriaceae identified in the previous study (Zlatković et al., ) was then used to conduct reciprocal inoculations on the hosts from which the Botryosphaeriaceae had been isolated, as well as on C. lawsoniana , Cedrus deodara, Picea omorika , E. grandis and Pinus patula from which some or all of the Botryosphaeriaceae species were not isolated. The overlapping patterns of all Botryosphaeriaceae species identified in the Western Balkans (Zlatković et al., ,b, ) were assessed at an individual plant, host species and geographic level.…”

New problems in dendropathology – new and invasive pathogens

“…all. Sensatsioonilise leiuna on männi-võrsevähki (D. sapinea) tekitavat seent hiljuti määratud ka hariliku pöögi võrsetel (Fagus sylvatica L.)(Zlatković et al, 2017). Kõige vastuvõtlikumad sellele haigusetekitajale on siiski erinevad männiliigid, sh meie kodumaine harilik mänd.…”