© Benaki Phytopathological Institute
Hellenic Plant Protection Journal - Special Issue
8
tained from field observations, laborato-
ry isolations and experimental studies, and
from data from international literature on
serious diseases.
Our Greek data are focused on fungal, non-
parasitic and postharvest diseases with ref-
erences to their causes, difficulty in diag-
nosis, their impact and their control. The
commonest pathogens causing fungal dis-
eases are
Eutypa / Libertella, Botryosphaeria/
Neofusicoccum,
wound pathogens of non-
parasitic origin
(Cytospora / Valsa, Pestalo-
tiopsis, Pestalotia)
and vascular wilts (
Ver-
ticillium dahliae
or
Ceratocystis fibriata
or
Ophiostoma stenoceras-sporothrix schenckii
complex). Regarding Greek ophiostomas
it was demonstrated that our isolates were
not
Ceratocystis fibriata
but of the
Ophiosto-
ma stenoceras-sporothrix schenckii
complex
that showed limited pathogenicity, caus-
ing mild symptoms on young pomegranate
plants.
Regarding post-harvest diseases the fungi
Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria alternata, Asper-
gillus niger
and
Cytospora
sp. have being fre-
quently observed.
As for non-parasitic diseases, which often
lead to secondary attacks by pathogenic
fungi, we underline the impact of frost dam-
age and damage by rodents. Also herbicide
toxicities and bad cultivation practices are
included.
Regarding most recent international data,
the fungus
Ceratocystis fibriata
causes severe
symptoms and is considered the most seri-
ous pathogen of pomegranate in India, Chi-
na and Iran. The disease appears as yellow-
ing and defoliation in one or more branches
in a few days or after 2-3 months to reach full
wilting and necrosis. The disease is charac-
terized by grey-brown discoloration of the
wood vessels and adjacent tissues.
Another significant bacterial disease of
pomegranate is caused by
Xanthomonas ax-
onopodis
pv.
punicae
, which has been found
to cause serious damage in India and threat-
ens to spread to other countries.
Finally, viral diseases or virus-like diseases
have been rarely reported in pomegranates.
The only references relate to a mosaic virus
(
Cucumber mosaic virus
) which causes de-
formation of leaves, yellowing and reduced
flowering (1984, in Yugoslavia) and Hop
stunt viroid (HSVD) in Turkey (in 2000).
O
RAL
& P
OSTER
P
RESENTATIONS
Diplodia corticola
: a new pathogen of oak in Greece
P. T
SOPELAS
1
, N. S
OULIOTI
1
and S. P
ALAVOUZIS
2
1
Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”, Institute of Mediterranean Forest
Ecosystems, Terma Alkmanos, GR-115 28 Athens, Greece.
2
Laboratory of Plant Pa-
thology, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str., GR-118 55 Athens, Greece
The fungus
Diplodia corticola
(teleomorph:
Botryosphaeria corticola
) was reported for
the first time in Greece in 2010, to infect
kermes oak (
Quercus coccifera
) in the Mes-
senia prefecture (Peloponnese). In the fol-
lowing years, infections from this pathogen
were also observed on holm oak (
Quercus
ilex
) and downy oak (
Quercus pubescens
) in
the same prefecture. Infections were also
noted on kermes oak in the neighbouring
Ilia prefecture as well as in the Karditsa pre-
fecture in Thessaly, central Greece. Infect-
ed trees showed symptoms of branch and
shoot dieback, that were more intense dur-
ing the summer period. Cankers were evi-
dent on infected branches, while abundant
pycnidia emerged through the bark. Fungal
isolates from infected tissue as well as from
pycnidia, on malt extract agar (MEA), were
initially white with dense aerial mycelium,
becoming dark grey to almost black with
age. Conidia formed in culture were similar
