Dothiorella species associated with woody hosts in Italy

Abstract

Dothiorella species are pathogens of many woody hosts but their host distribution is poorly known. In this study, a collection of Dothiorella isolates obtained from different woody hosts, including Acer, Cornus, Coronilla, Crataegus, Euonymus, Fraxinus, Laburnum, Laurus, Paliurus, Prunus, Salix, Sambucus and Ulmus species in Italy were identified. Morphological and cultural characteristics, as well as ITS and EF1-α sequence data, were used to identify the isolates. The results show the diversity of Dothiorella species associated with twigs and branches of these woody hosts. Four species were identified. Dothiorella sarmentorum was the dominant species (65% of isolates), followed by D. symphoricarposicola (20%), D. iberica (8%) and D. vidmadera (8%). A host-fungus index for all Dothiorella species with available molecular data from the literature is provided.