Molecular identification and pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriaceae species associated with citrus wood diseases in the eastern Mediterranean region of Türkiye

Citrus spp. are economically important fruit crops produced worldwide. Surveys were carried out in citrus orchards showing yellowing, wilting on twigs and decline and gummosis of trunks and branches in the Adana, Mersin and Hatay provinces of the eastern Mediterranean region from 2019–2020. The fungal isolates obtained from symptomatic plant materials were identified as 5 different species belonging to Botryosphaeriaceae: Diplodia seriata, D. olivarum, Dothiorella viticola, Neoscytalidium dimidiatum and Neofusicoccum parvum. The identification was achieved through a robust multilocus phylogeny based on three genomic loci: ITS, tef-1 and tub2. All the species were pathogenic to healthy Citrus plants that presented 100% symptomatic twigs in all the cases. Despite the wide distribution and economic importance of this crop, serious fungal diseases are reported worldwide and, in some cases, need to be investigated. This study provides comprehensive insight into the identification of Botryosphaeriaceae species that are causal agents of trunk cankers and branch dieback in citrus in Türkiye.