Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims.) is an ever-increasing interest crop in Italy because it is mainly cultivated for its edible fruit and, secondly, as an ornamental evergreen climber. During the summer of 2020, two-year-old plants of purple passion fruit in one of the most important expanding production areas of Sicily (southern Italy) showed symptoms of yellowing, wilting, and vascular discoloration. Fusarium-like fungal colonies were consistently yielded from symptomatic crown and stem tissues. Five representative isolates were characterized by a morphological and molecular analysis based on a multilocus phylogeny using RNA polymerase’s second largest subunit (RPB2) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1α) genes, as Fusarium nirenbergiae (Fusarium oxysporum species complex). Pathogenicity tests conducted on healthy 1-year-old passion fruit cuttings revealed symptoms similar to those observed in the field. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Fusarium wilt on passion fruit caused by Fusarium nirenbergiae. This report focuses on the phytopathological implications of this fungal pathogen, which may represent a future significant threat for the expanding passion fruit production in Italy and Europe.

In recent years, the cultivation of tropical fruit crops has increased in the Mediterranean basin, especially in southern Italy. In surveys conducted from 2014 to 2019 woody canker and shoot blight were observed on mango plants (cvs. Kent, Keitt, Sensation, Osteen, and Kensington Pride) and litchi plants (cvs. Way Chee and Kwai Mai Pink) cultivated in Sicily. Botryosphaeriaceae and Diaporthaceae were consistently isolated from symptomatic samples. Morphological characterization and multi-locus phylogenies using three genomic loci (a portion of translation elongation factor 1-α gene, a portion of the β-tubulin gene, and an internal transcribed spacer) identified these fungi as Neofusicoccum parvum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Botryosphaeria dothidea, Diaporthe foeniculina, and Diaporthe baccae on mango and Diaporthe foeniculina and Diaporthe rudis on litchi. Pathogenicity tests on healthy mango (cv. Kensington Pride) and litchi (cv. Way Chee) plants demonstrated the pathogenicity of the isolates used in the study, and Koch’s postulates were fulfilled for all pathogens. To our knowledge, this is the first report of L. theobromae, B. dothidea, and Diaporthe species on mango in Italy and the first report worldwide of woody canker and shoot blight caused by D. foeniculina and D. rudis on litchi plants.

Mal secco, caused by Plenodomus tracheiphilus, is an economically important fungal vascular disease in citrus-growing countries of the Mediterranean basin. Preventing fungal infections usually requires a high number of copper treatments but European legislation imposes the minimization of their accumulation in soil. In our study, biological control agents (BCAs) and a plant resistance inducer (PRI), tested in four different experiments on citrus seedlings under controlled conditions, have resulted in promising strategies to control mal secco disease. Foliar (Experiment I) and soil (Experiment II) applications of two formulations of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain D747 (Amylo-X^® LC and Amylo-X^® WG) provided similar performances in reducing the disease amount (incidence and symptoms severity) over time compared to the untreated control, whereas copper hydroxide (Kocide Opti^®) used as standard was the most effective treatment over time. In the third experiment, Pythium oligandrum strain M1 (Polyversum^®) and Trichoderma asperellum strain ICC012 + Trichoderma gamsii strain ICC080 (Remedier^®) were able to reduce disease incidence and symptoms severity compared to the untreated control. Remedier^® provided the best performances in reducing the disease amount, whereas the Polyversum^® application was the least effective treatment over time. The effectiveness of the Trichoderma spp. formulation in reducing P. tracheiphilus infections did not significantly differ from the standard copper compound (Kocide Opti^®). Comprehensively, in the last experiment (IV), acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) alone and in mixture with metalaxyl-M proved as effective as B. amyloliquefaciens strain FZB24, with no dose–response relationships observed. These findings provide important insight for the integrated management of mal secco disease.

The effectiveness of biological commercial products based on Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strains was evaluated through in vitro and in vivo experiments against Plenodomus tracheiphilus. The activity of bacterial cells, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and culture filtrates of bacteria were tested in vitro against different isolates of P. tracheiphilus. Afterwards, the virulence of these isolates was evaluated on Citrus volkameriana plants to select the most virulent isolate to use in the in vivo experiments. To evaluate the effectiveness of products, C. volkameriana seedlings were pre-treated, twice with biological products and once with standard fungicides, before pathogen inoculation. Moreover, in order to determine the endophytic ability of the bacteria, the population density within the treated citrus stem was determined. Comprehensively, bacterial cells, filtrates, and VOCs were able to significantly reduce the average mycelial diameter of P. tracheiphilus, with some variability according to pathogen isolate. In planta experiments showed that the biological products on average were less effective than fungicides, although all formulates were able to significantly reduce disease incidence and symptom severity, except B. amyloliquefaciens strain D747 (Amylo-X) for symptom severity (SS) 20 days after inoculation. Bacteria were re-isolated from the internal woody tissue of treated plants, showing strong endophytic ability. This work is important as commercial biological products based on B. amyloliquefaciens strains could represent a promising and sustainable alternative for the integrated management of mal secco disease.

Laurus nobilis is an important Mediterranean tree and shrub native to Italy that is also commercially grown as spice and ornamental plant. Field surveys conducted since 2021 in Sicily (Italy) revealed that bay laurel plants in urban and private gardens and nurseries were severely affected by symptoms of stem blight and internal necrosis, which were associated with ambrosia beetle entry holes in the bark and internal wood galleries. The occurring ambrosia beetle was identified as Xylosandrus compactus, an invasive wood-boring pest previously reported from Sicily. Investigation of fungi from symptomatic tissues primarily resulted in the isolation of Thyridium-like colonies. The main symbiont of X. compactus, Ambrosiella xylebori, was also isolated from infested plants. Phylogenetic analyses of a combined matrix of ITS, LSU, act1, rpb2, tef1, and tub2 gene regions revealed that the isolated Thyridium-like colonies represent a new fungal species within the genus Thyridium. Based on both phylogeny and morphology, the new isolated fungus is described as Thyridium laurisp. nov. Moreover, two recently described species, Phialemoniopsis hipposidericola and Phialemoniopsis xishuangbannaensis, are transferred to the genus Thyridium due to the confirmed synonymy of both genera, as supported by molecular phylogenies. Pathogenicity test conducted on potted plants demonstrated that T. lauri is pathogenic to bay laurel, causing internal necrosis and stem blight. The new species was consistently re-isolated from the symptomatic tissue beyond the inoculation point, thereby fulfilling Koch’s postulates. This study represents the first report of a new pathogenic fungus, T. lauri, causing stem blight and internal necrosis of bay laurel plants and associated with infestation of the invasive ambrosia beetle X. compactus.

Citrus fruit crops are important in many countries. Anthracnose, post bloom fruit drop, fruit stem-end rot, twig and branch dieback and gummosis, caused by Colletotrichum spp., are diseases that seriously threaten citrus production. Surveys of kumquat (Fortunella margarita) orchards were conducted in Eastern Sicily, Southern Italy, during 2022-23. Fungi isolated from twig and branch dieback of F. margarita were identified as Colletotrichum karsti through multi-locus (gapdh, tub2 and act) phylogeny. Pathogenicity and aggressiveness on detached apple fruit and kumquat plants were confirmed for a selection of representative isolates, although with different levels of disease incidence observed. This is the most comprehensive study on identification of C. karsti as the causal agent of twig and branch dieback of kumquat.