ISHS Acta Horticulturae 810: IX International Vaccinium Symposium
SILVER LEAF: FIRST WORLDWIDE REPORT OF A NEW AND HARMFUL DISEASE ON BLUEBERRY |
| Authors: | A. France, C. Santelices, A. Buddie, P. Kirk |
| Keywords: | Vaccinium corymbosum, fungi, pathogen, Basidiomycota, Aphyllophorales, Brigitta Blue, Bluecrop |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.810.44 |
| Abstract:
Silver leaf and necrotic xylem symptoms were detected for the first time in ‘Brigitta Blue’ blueberry, during the 2005-06 growing season (November 2005) in the south of Chile (Osorno). Chips from the xylem of affected plants were cultured in PDA, and developed a white and cottony mycelial colony. On the edge of the plate the fungus developed primordial basidiocarp, basidia and basidiospore, which were used for identification and inoculation. Disease symptoms did not become apparent on inoculated plants until after 12 months under greenhouse conditions. Pure mycelium was used for DNA extraction. DNA sequence analysis of the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, resulted in top matches (via GenBank BLAST and EBI FASTA searches) of >98% to a published sequence of Chondrostereum purpureum. The disease has been detected in ‘Brigitta Blue’ and ‘Bluecrop’. In 2005 two orchards were affected; this had increased to 21 orchards by the following year, spreading 400 km from the most likely point of origin. The pathogen kills the plant within about three years of infection, producing small and pink basidiocarps on dead wood or over the pruning wound. This is the first report of the pathogen on blueberry. This disease has the potential to have a major impact on blueberry production. | |
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