Preliminary investigation on Asparagus diseases in Sicily

The green-quality asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is an innovative and promising crop in Sicily because of favourable soil and climatic conditions along the coasts, mainly in the provinces of Messina, Trapani, Siracusa and Agrigento In these areas, asparagus season usually runs from January to April being cultivated both in semi-forced culture under tunnel and in open field. Since asparagus is there a recent crop, any information on local diseases and causal agents are not reported. Therefore, the aim of our work was to survey asparagus fields to assess the occurrence of diseases caused either by pathogens that normally evolve along the crop in other Italian regions or indigenous that can encounter this new cultivated host. After two-year survey, phytosanitary status of the cultivations appeared generally good, nevertheless symptomatic plants showing severe stunting, plant decline, and root rot were observed in a plastic-house in early 2007 at Mazara del Vallo. Mycological analysis proved Fusarium proliferatum (Matsushima) Nirenberg to be associated to the disease. It is supposed that a thermal stress due to a prolonged closure of the tunnel may have predisposed the crop to the disease. Spears and ferns from symptomless plants were also analyzed for the presence of viruses. Asparagus virus 1 (AV1) and Asparagus virus 2 (AV2) were found and resulted present in two different areas with a significantly different incidence. These viruses are widely spread both in Italy and in the world. Until now, no other viruses reported on asparagus have been detected.