RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 <em>Pilidium lythri</em> Is Associated with Bunch Rot of Grapevine (<em>Vitis vinifera</em>)
JF American Journal of Enology and Viticulture
JO Am J Enol Vitic.
FD American Society for Enology and Viticulture
SP ajev.2018.17093
DO 10.5344/ajev.2018.17093
A1 Olga Aguín
A1 Vanessa Ferreiroa
A1 Jesús M. González-Jartín
A1 Amparo Alfonso
A1 Luis M. Botana
A1 J. Pedro Mansilla
A1 María J. Sainz
YR 2018
UL http://www.ajevonline.org/content/early/2018/05/23/ajev.2018.17093.abstract
AB Bunch rot of Vitis vinifera is frequently caused by a complex of filamentous fungi. In a study on non-Botrytis fungi associated with bunch rot at harvest in NW Spain, rotting berries showing pink masses were observed in bunches of Vitis vinifera ‘Albariño’ in one of the vineyards, where climatological conditions before harvest had provided prolonged warm moist conditions. The aim of this work was to identify the fungal species and determine its pathogenicity on grapes. Fungal isolates not corresponding morphologically to any known genus associated with bunch rot were obtained from the pink masses. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that the isolates belonged to Pilidium lythri, an opportunistic pathogen causing tan-brown rot on strawberry. Most frequent non-Botrytis grape-rotting fungi at the vineyard were Penicillium brevicompactum, P. expansum, and Talaromyces purpurogenus, whereas P. lythri had a low isolation frequency. Pathogenicity tests showed that P. lythri caused tan-brown rot in table grape berries of V. vinifera ‘Regal Seedless’ and ‘Red Globe’. The fact that P. lythri can directly infect healthy grape berries suggests that it may be a true pathogen associated with bunch rot on grapevine. Its presence on berries may contribute to postharvest decay of table and wine grapes.