PHYTOPHTHORA CACTORUM (LEBERT & COHN) J. SCHRÖT AS CAUSAL AGENT OF DIEBACK OF CHESTNUT AND APPLE TREES IN MACEDONIA

Risteski, Mihajlo; Woodward, Stephen; Ježić, Marin; Rusevski, Rade; Kuzmanovska, Biljana; Sotirovski, Kiril

doi:10.20903/csnmbs.masa.2019.40.1.134

PHYTOPHTHORA CACTORUM (LEBERT & COHN) J. SCHRÖT AS CAUSAL AGENT OF DIEBACK OF CHESTNUT AND APPLE TREES IN MACEDONIA

Journal

Contributions, Section of Natural, Mathematical and Biotechnical Sciences

Date Issued

2019-06-10

Author(s)

Risteski, Mihajlo

Woodward, Stephen

Ježić, Marin

DOI

10.20903/csnmbs.masa.2019.40.1.134

Abstract

From 2013–2017, 11 chestnut populations and 16 apple orchards/plantations in Macedonia were examined for health; soil, root and bark samples were collected from trees expressing symptoms regarded as Phytophthora specific. Using leaf baits of Prunus laurocerasus and selective V8 Agar (PARPNH), 19 pure Phytophthora sp. cultures were isolated and identified as P. cactorum by ITS sequencing. Sixteen isolates were from apple trees and 3 from chestnut trees. Phylogenetic analyses suggested slight distance between P. cactorum isolates originating from chestnut trees compared to those from apple orchards. Assessment of pathogenicity using chestnuts twigs showed no differences be-tween P. cactorum isolates from the two tree host species.