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Manganese affects grapevine wood degradation by Fomitiporia mediterranea: in vitro evidence

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  • Francesco BIGAZZI,
  • Giuseppe CARELLA,
  • Laura MARTÍN,
  • Laura MUGNAI
Francesco BIGAZZI
Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Forestry Science and Technology (DAGRI), Plant pathology and Entomology section, P. le delle Cascine 28, 50142 Firenze, Italy
Giuseppe CARELLA
Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Forestry Science and Technology (DAGRI), Plant pathology and Entomology section, P. le delle Cascine 28, 50142 Firenze, Italy
Laura MARTÍN
Área de Protección Vegetal. Instituto de Investigaciones Agrarias Finca La Orden (CICYTEX), Junta de Extremadura, Guadajira, 06187, Badajoz, Spain
Laura MUGNAI
Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Forestry Science and Technology (DAGRI), Plant pathology and Entomology section, P. le delle Cascine 28, 50142 Firenze, Italy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/phyto-17152

Published 2026-07-19

Keywords

  • Esca complex,
  • wood decay,
  • white-rot basidiomycete,
  • micronutrients

How to Cite

[1]
F. BIGAZZI, G. CARELLA, MARTÍN L., and L. MUGNAI, “Manganese affects grapevine wood degradation by Fomitiporia mediterranea: in vitro evidence”, Phytopathol. Mediterr., pp. 209–223, Jul. 2026.

Copyright (c) 2026 Francesco BIGAZZI, Giuseppe CARELLA, Laura MARTÍN, Laura MUGNAI

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

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Abstract

Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) are severe constraints affecting Vitis vinifera (grapevine) cultivation, causing vine decline, yield losses, and major economic impacts. Within the Esca disease complex, the white-rot basidiomycete Fomitiporia mediterranea is frequently associated with wood degradation. Despite its recognized involvement in disease development, the influence of abiotic factors on the wood-degrading activity of this pathogen has not been studied. Effects of manganese (Mn²⁺) availability on F. mediterranea growth, biomass production, wood degradation, and manganese peroxidase (MnP) activity of this fungus were assessed under controlled laboratory conditions, using increasing manganese concentrations and young (3-year-old) and old (25-year-old) wood from V. vinifera ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’. Manganese availability had a concentration-dependent effects on F. mediterranea. Intermediate Mn²⁺ concentrations, particularly 80 µM, promoted colony growth, biomass accumulation, and wood mass loss, whereas greater concentrations (320 µM) reduced growth and wood degradation. Qualitative observations showed formation of dark pigmented zones in wood, which became progressively more pronounced as Mn concentrations increased. MnP activities were greatest at intermediate Mn²⁺ levels, and declined at the greatest concentration, a trend consistent with F. mediterranea growth and wood degradation patterns. These results indicate that Mn²⁺ availability can modulate F. mediterranea degradative activity and may influence enzymatic processes involved in grapevine wood decay. Future studies should assess micronutrient bioavailability as an abiotic factor for reducing progression of the Esca complex in grapevines.

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