Vol. 64 No. 2 (2025)
Articles

Gnomoniopsis paraclavulata, a previously unrecorded causal agent of oak decline in Italy

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  • Simone MAVICA,
  • Giuseppa Rosaria LEONARDI,
  • Giancarlo POLIZZI,
  • Dalia AIELLO
Simone MAVICA
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123, Via S. Sofia 100, Catania, Italy
Giuseppa Rosaria LEONARDI
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123, Via S. Sofia 100, Catania, Italy
Giancarlo POLIZZI
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123, Via S. Sofia 100, Catania, Italy
Dalia AIELLO
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123, Via S. Sofia 100, Catania, Italy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/phyto-16184

Published 2025-09-12

Keywords

  • Fungal diseases,
  • Quercus pubescens,
  • Dieback,
  • wood necrosis

How to Cite

[1]
S. MAVICA, G. R. LEONARDI, G. POLIZZI, and D. AIELLO, “Gnomoniopsis paraclavulata, a previously unrecorded causal agent of oak decline in Italy”, Phytopathol. Mediterr., vol. 64, no. 2, pp. 183–190, Sep. 2025.

Copyright (c) 2025 Simone MAVICA, Giuseppa Rosaria LEONARDI, Giancarlo POLIZZI, Dalia AIELLO

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Oak trees (Quercus pubescens) showing symptoms of twig and branch dieback, internal wood necroses, and decline, were surveyed in a public park located in Catania province (eastern Sicily, Italy). Gnomoniopsis-like fungi were consistently isolated from symptomatic wood tissues. Based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses of ITS, tef1 and tub2 loci, the fungi were identified as Gnomoniopsis paraclavulata. A pathogenicity test was conducted by inoculating stems of 1-year-old oak seedlings with mycelium plugs of a representative G. paraclavulata isolate. Three months after inoculation, internal necrosis around inoculation points and twig dieback were observed. Colonies of G. paraclavulata were reisolated from necrotic tissues of inoculated plants, fulfilling Koch’s postulates. This is the first report of G. paraclavulata causing dieback and decline on Q. pubescens trees.

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