Vol. 53 No. 1 (2014)
Research Papers

Phytophthora cinnamon causing stem canker and root rot of nursery-grown Platanus × acerifolia: first report in the Northern emisphere

Massimo PILOTTI
Agricultural Research Council - Plant Pathology Research Center, Rome (CRA-PAV)
Giovanni DI LERNIA
Agricultural Research Council - Plant Pathology Research Center, Rome (CRA-PAV)
Valentina LUMIA
Agricultural Research Council - Plant Pathology Research Center, Rome (CRA-PAV)
Luca RICCIONI
Agricultural Research Council - Plant Pathology Research Center, Rome (CRA-PAV)

Published 2014-04-18

Keywords

  • plane trees,
  • bark staining

How to Cite

[1]
M. PILOTTI, G. DI LERNIA, V. LUMIA, and L. RICCIONI, “Phytophthora cinnamon causing stem canker and root rot of nursery-grown Platanus × acerifolia: first report in the Northern emisphere”, Phytopathol. Mediterr., vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 75–82, Apr. 2014.

Abstract

Lethal stem and root cankers were observed in nursery-grown Platanus × acerifolia trees in Rome. Externally, canker lesions appeared as bluish or blackish areas starting from the stem base and extending upward. Inner bark was necrotised. In some cases an irregularly-shaped callus reaction attempted to heal the bark lesions. Black-stained necrosis affected the primary roots and the small branch roots to different degrees. The presence of Ceratocystis platani was excluded in the diseased trees. Phytophthora-like organisms were isolated from the altered tissue. Morphological and ITS-region-based analyses identified the isolates as Phytophthora cinnamomi. A pathogenicity test confirmed P. cinnamomi as the causal agent of the disease here defined as: stem canker and root rot of plane tree. This is the first report of P. cinnamomi in Platanus spp. in the Northern emisphere.

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