Intermediate snowpack melt-out dates guarantee the highest seasonal grasslands greening in the Pyrenees

In mountain areas, the phenology and productivity of grassland are closely related to snow dynamics. However, the influence that snow melt timing has on grassland growing still needs further attention for a full understanding, particularly at high spatial resolution. Aiming to reduce this knowledge gap, this work exploits 1 m resolution snow depth and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index observations acquired with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle at a sub-alpine site in the Pyrenees. During two snow seasons (2019-2020 and 2020-2021), 14 NDVI and 17 snow depth distributions were acquired over 48 ha. Despite the snow dynamics being different in the two seasons, the response of grasslands greening to snow melt-out exhibited a very similar pattern in both. The NDVI temporal evolution in areas with distinct melt-out dates reveals that sectors where the melt-out date occurs in late April or early May (optimum melt-out) reach the maximum vegetation productivity. Zones with an earlier or a later melt-out rarely reach peak NDVI values. The results obtained in this study area, suggest that knowledge about snow depth distribution is not needed to understand NDVI grassland dynamics. The analysis did not reveal a clear link between the spatial variability in snow duration and the diversity and richness of grassland communities within the study area.

Caracterización técnica y económica del sistema de producción de búfalos Bubalus bubalis en el departamento de Córdoba de Colombia

El objetivo de este trabajo fue realizar un estudio descriptivo que permitiera generar información básica tecnológica y socioeconómica de los sistemas de producción de búfalos en el departamento de Córdoba, Colombia. La recopilación de información se obtuvo por medio de un formulario de encuesta aplicada a 26 unidades productivas. Los indicadores estadísticos fueron tabulados y analizados con el programa SPSS. Se permite apreciar que el 63% de los sistemas de producción tienen una vocación de doble propósito donde predomina la raza Murrah (52%), con unidades productivas mayores a 100 hectáreas (77%). El 88% realizan plan sanitario en la finca, 35% de los encuestados reportan la mayor mortalidad en las crías y los problemas reproductivos se concentran en los abortos (26%). El tipo de apareamiento es continuo (96%), exponen un macho por cada 40 hembras (53%). El 96% de los encuestados efectúan palpación rectal por lo menos 2 veces al año. En más del 90% de las fincas llevan registros, en su mayoría usan software y mantienen control tanto de los aspectos técnicos, productivos, reproductivos y venta de productos. En los costos de producción, las labores que participan en un 70% sobre el total, las drogas veterinarias un 2%, los costos directos participan con el 76%. Los retornos económicos para una finca promedio de 250 hectáreas presentan un ingreso neto de $209.463.933 COP. La rentabilidad de 32% y el punto de equilibrio de 85% del total de la producción, demuestra que este sistema es eficiente y rentable.

Late-onset bipolar illness: Literature review and case report

Introduction

Late-onset bipolar-illness (LOBI) diagnosis comprises those patients whose first mania episode occurs aged 60 or older. Traditionally, it has been considered as a secondary disorder, accompanying other conditions such as dementia. While this is true for some cases, LOBI is a wider concept, which has its own features and also includes other entities.

Objectives

To describe the main features of LOBI.

Methods

Critical review of the literature and description of the case of a 72-year-old woman diagnosed with LOBI.

Results

While only 6–8% of all new cases of bipolar disorder (BD) occur in people older than 60, recent research suggests an increase of first episodes in this age group. LOBI is less associated with family history compared to early onset BD and seems to occur more frequently in women.

LOBI presents with better premorbid functioning and atypical psychopathology as compared to early onset. Also, there is a higher prevalence of mixed episodes and a higher frequency of episodes per year, with a great risk of suicide. LOBI patients have more cognitive impairment and higher rates of comorbid psychiatric disorders.

These patients show some specific neuroimaging signs, including subcortical hyperintensities.

Quetiapine and valproate have proved useful, but the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of older patients must be taken into account.

Conclusion

The reported case identifies similarities between LOBI and classical BD. However, both this case and the literature review reveal that LOBI has specific features that differentiate it from classical BD. Further research is needed to characterise the condition and improve its management.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Epidemiological and Clinical Variables Related with the Predominant Polarity on Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review

Introduction

Type I and type II classification of bipolar disorder (BD) may not provide useful information to the clinician regarding epidemiological and clinical correlates.

New classifications have recently been proposed, such as the Predominant Polarity (PP) classification, which is based on the tendency of the patient to relapse in the manic (Manic Predominant Polarity [MPP]) or the depressive (Depressive Predominant Polarity [DPP]) poles along the course of the disease.

Objectives

To explore the epidemiological and clinical correlates of PP.

Methods

We performed a search of the PubMed and Web of Science databases up to June 1st 2016, using the keywords “bipolar disorder”, “polarity” and “predominant polarity”.

Results

The initial search identified 1598 articles. Only 17 articles met inclusion criteria. Factors associated with MPP are manic onset, history of drug abuse and a better response to atypical antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. Meanwhile DPP is associated with depressive onset, more relapses, longer acute episodes, and a higher risk of suicide. Moreover, delay until diagnosis, mixed episodes and comorbid anxiety disorders are more prevalent in DPP patients, whose treatment often involves quetiapine and lamotrigine.

Limitations

Few prospective studies. Variability of results.

Conclusions

PP classification may be useful for the clinical management of BD. Further research in this field is needed. Future research should use standardized definitions and more comparable methods.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Detection of Grapevine Fungal Trunk Pathogens on Pruning Shears and Evaluation of Their Potential for Spread of Infection

Four vineyards visibly affected by trunk diseases were surveyed at pruning time in 2012 and 2013 in Spain, to determine whether pruning tools are capable of spreading grapevine trunk diseases from vine to vine. In each vineyard, pruning shears were regularly rinsed with sterile water, collecting liquid samples for analysis. Molecular detection of grapevine fungal trunk pathogens (GFTPs) was performed by nested polymerase chain reaction using specific primers to detect Botryosphaeriaceae spp. Eutypa lata, Cadophora luteo-olivacea, Phaeoacremonium spp., and Phaeomoniella chlamydospora. All of these GFTPs, with the exception of E. lata, were detected in samples from the four vineyards, C. luteo-olivacea and Phaeoacremonium spp. being the most prevalent. Co-occurrence of two, three, or four different GFTPs from the same sample were found, the simultaneous detection of C. luteo-olivacea and Phaeoacremonium spp. being the most prevalent. In addition, fungal isolation from liquid samples in semiselective culture medium for C. luteo-olivacea, Phaeoacremonium spp., and P. chlamydospora was also performed but only C. luteo-olivacea was recovered from samples collected in three of four vineyards evaluated. Pruning shears artificially infested with suspensions of conidia or mycelial fragments of C. luteo-olivacea, Diplodia seriata, E. lata, Phaeoacremonium aleophilum, and Phaeomoniella chlamydospora were used to prune 1-year-old grapevine cuttings of '110 Richter' rootstock. Successful fungal reisolation from the cuttings 4 months after pruning confirmed that infested pruning shears were able to infect them through pruning wounds. These results improve knowledge about the epidemiology of GFTPs and demonstrate the potential of inoculum present on pruning shears to infect grapevines.

First Report of Calosphaeria pulchella Causing Canker and Branch Dieback of Sweet Cherry Trees in Spain

In autumn 2012, severe branch cankers and diebacks of sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium L.) were observed in orchards located in two different growing areas in Alicante Province (eastern Spain). In affected trees, leaves become dried without defoliation. Sectorial wood necrosis was also observed, occasionally associated with swollen bark and gum exudates. Isolations were made from diseased branches by surface-disinfecting small fragments of symptomatic tissue in 0.5% NaOCl, double-rinsing in sterile water, and plating them onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with 0.5 g liter^-1 of streptomycin sulfate. Plates were incubated at 25°C in the dark for 10 days, and all colonies were transferred to PDA. Pink to red colonies with white margins were consistently isolated. All isolates produced hyaline, allantoid to oblong-ellipsoidal conidia, 4 to 6 × 1.5 to 2 μm. The fungus was identified as Calosphaeria pulchella (Pers.: Fr.) J. Schröt (anamorph Calosphaeriophora pulchella Réblová, L. Mostert, W. Gams & Crous) based on morphology (1). Identification of C. pulchella isolates was confirmed by sequence comparison in GenBank database using the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) of the rDNA. Sequences showed 100% identity and 100% query coverage with C. pulchella reference isolate CBS 115999 (EU367451) (2). The ITS sequence of one of the isolates obtained in this study was deposited into GenBank (KJ396346). Two-year-old sweet cherry trees cv. Burlat were inoculated with two representative C. pulchella isolates from different orchards (1701 and 1702). A 5-mm cork borer was used to remove bark, and an agar plug from the growing margin of 20-day-old colonies was placed directly into the fresh wound, mycelium side down. Five trees were inoculated per isolate (five branches per tree) and 25 control branches were inoculated with non-colonized agar plugs. Inoculated tissue was covered with Vaseline and Parafilm to avoid the loss of water. Branches were taken to the laboratory 9 months after inoculation and thoroughly examined for canker development. The length of vascular discoloration was evaluated in each branch and resulting data were statistically analyzed. Length of vascular discoloration on the inoculated branches (6.6 ± 0.7) was significantly longer than in control plants (2.3 ± 0.3) at P < 0.001. Perithecia were neither observed on the artificially inoculated branches nor in the diseased sweet cherry trees from the sampled orchards. C. pulchella was re-isolated from the inoculated branches and no fungi were isolated from discolored tissue of the controls, confirming Koch's postulates. Canker of sweet cherry caused by C. pulchella is responsible for reducing yields and tree longevity in California and South Australia (3). Cultivated area of sweet cherry in Spain is around 25,000 ha. Hence, the potential economic loss from this pathogen could be substantial if left unchecked. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. pulchella as a pathogen of sweet cherry trees in Spain. References: (1) M. E. Barr. Mycologia 77:549, 1985. (2) U. Damm et al. Persoonia 20:39, 2008. (3) F. P. Trouillas et al. Plant Dis. 96:648, 2012.

Fungal Planet description sheets: 214-280

Novel species of microfungi described in the present study include the following from South Africa: Cercosporella dolichandrae from Dolichandra unguiscati, Seiridium podocarpi from Podocarpus latifolius, Pseudocercospora parapseudarthriae from Pseudarthria hookeri, Neodevriesia coryneliae from Corynelia uberata on leaves of Afrocarpus falcatus, Ramichloridium eucleae from Euclea undulata and Stachybotrys aloeticola from Aloe sp. (South Africa), as novel member of the Stachybotriaceae fam. nov. Several species were also described from Zambia, and these include Chaetomella zambiensis on unknown Fabaceae, Schizoparme pseudogranati from Terminalia stuhlmannii, Diaporthe isoberliniae from Isoberlinia angolensis, Peyronellaea combreti from Combretum mossambiciensis, Zasmidium rothmanniae and Phaeococcomyces rothmanniae from Rothmannia engleriana, Diaporthe vangueriae from Vangueria infausta and Diaporthe parapterocarpi from Pterocarpus brenanii. Novel species from the Netherlands include: Stagonospora trichophoricola, Keissleriella trichophoricola and Dinemasporium trichophoricola from Trichophorum cespitosum, Phaeosphaeria poae, Keissleriella poagena, Phaeosphaeria poagena, Parastagonospora poagena and Pyrenochaetopsis poae from Poa sp., Septoriella oudemansii from Phragmites australis and Dendryphion europaeum from Hedera helix (Germany) and Heracleum sphondylium (the Netherlands). Novel species from Australia include: Anungitea eucalyptorum from Eucalyptus leaf litter, Beltraniopsis neolitseae and Acrodontium neolitseae from Neolitsea australiensis, Beltraniella endiandrae from Endiandra introrsa, Phaeophleospora parsoniae from Parsonia straminea, Penicillifer martinii from Cynodon dactylon, Ochroconis macrozamiae from Macrozamia leaf litter, Triposporium cycadicola, Circinotrichum cycadis, Cladosporium cycadicola and Acrocalymma cycadis from Cycas spp. Furthermore, Vermiculariopsiella dichapetali is described from Dichapetalum rhodesicum (Botswana), Ophiognomonia acadiensis from Picea rubens (Canada), Setophoma vernoniae from Vernonia polyanthes and Penicillium restingae from soil (Brazil), Pseudolachnella guaviyunis from Myrcianthes pungens (Uruguay) and Pseudocercospora neriicola from Nerium oleander (Italy). Novelties from Spain include: Dendryphiella eucalyptorum from Eucalyptus globulus, Conioscypha minutispora from dead wood, Diplogelasinospora moalensis and Pseudoneurospora canariensis from soil and Inocybe lanatopurpurea from reforested woodland of Pinus spp. Novelties from France include: Kellermania triseptata from Agave angustifolia, Zetiasplozna acaciae from Acacia melanoxylon, Pyrenochaeta pinicola from Pinus sp. and Pseudonectria rusci from Ruscus aculeatus. New species from China include: Dematiocladium celtidicola from Celtis bungeana, Beltrania pseudorhombica, Chaetopsina beijingensis and Toxicocladosporium pini from Pinus spp. and Setophaeosphaeria badalingensis from Hemerocallis fulva. Novel genera of Ascomycetes include Alfaria from Cyperus esculentus (Spain), Rinaldiella from a contaminated human lesion (Georgia), Hyalocladosporiella from Tectona grandis (Brazil), Pseudoacremonium from Saccharum spontaneum and Melnikomyces from leaf litter (Vietnam), Annellosympodiella from Juniperus procera (Ethiopia), Neoceratosperma from Eucalyptus leaves (Thailand), Ramopenidiella from Cycas calcicola (Australia), Cephalotrichiella from air in the Netherlands, Neocamarosporium from Mesembryanthemum sp. and Acervuloseptoria from Ziziphus mucronata (South Africa) and Setophaeosphaeria from Hemerocallis fulva (China). Several novel combinations are also introduced, namely for Phaeosphaeria setosa as Setophaeosphaeria setosa, Phoma heteroderae as Peyronellaea heteroderae and Phyllosticta maydis as Peyronellaea maydis. Morphological and culture characteristics along with ITS DNA barcodes are provided for all taxa.

First Report of Alternaria Black Spot of Pomegranate Caused by Alternaria alternata in Spain

Since 2010, a new foliar and fruit disease was observed in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) orchards in Alicante Province (eastern Spain). Symptoms included black spots on leaves and fruits, as well as chlorosis and premature abscission of leaves. Fungal isolates were obtained by surface-disinfecting small fragments of symptomatic leaf and fruit tissues in 0.5% NaOCl, double-rinsing in sterile water, and plating them onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) amended with 0.5 g/liter of streptomycin sulfate. Gray-to-black colonies were obtained, which were identified as Alternaria sp. based on the dark, brown, obclavate to obpyriform catenulate conidia with longitudinal and transverse septa tapering to a prominent beak attached in chains on a simple and short conidiophore (4). Conidia (n = 100) measured (12.2-) 20.2 (-27.6) × (5.7-) 9.2 (-12.0) μm, and had 3 to 6 transverse and 0 to 5 longitudinal septa. Single spore cultures were obtained and their genomic DNA was extracted. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA and partial sequences of the beta tubulin gene were amplified and sequenced with primers ITS1-ITS4 and Bt1a-Bt1b, respectively (3). BLAST analysis of the sequences showed that they were 100% identical to a pathogenic A. alternata (Fr.) Keissl. isolate obtained from black spot disease of pomegranate in Israel (Accession No. JN247826.1, ITS and Accession No. JN247836.1, beta tubulin) (2). As all the sequences obtained showed 100% homology, ITS and beta tubulin sequences of a representative isolate (1516B) were submitted to GenBank (KF199871 and KF199872, respectively). In addition, a PCR reaction with specific primers (C_for/C_rev) designed to recognize highly virulent isolates of A. alternata causing black spot of pomegranate was used with all isolates (2). A characteristic fragment of ~950 bp was amplified in two isolates: 1552B and 1707B. Pathogenicity was assessed on plants and detached fruit of pomegranate cv. Mollar (1). Two-year-old pomegranate trees were inoculated with isolates 1552B and 1707B by spraying a conidial suspension (10⁶ conidia/ml) onto the upper and lower leaf surfaces. Five plants per fungal isolate were used and five control plants were sprayed with sterile water. Plants were covered with transparent plastic bags and incubated in a growth chamber for 1 month at 25°C, with a 12-h photoperiod. One-month-old fruits were surface sterilized in 1.5% sodium hypochlorite solution for 1 min and rinsed twice in water. Two filter paper squares (5 × 5 mm) were dipped in the conidial suspensions and placed on the fruit surface. Inoculated fruit were incubated in a humid chamber in the dark at 25°C. Ten fruit per fungal isolate were used and 10 control fruit were inoculated with sterile water. Black spots were visible on inoculated leaves and fruit, 10 and 3 days after inoculation, respectively. Symptoms were not observed on controls. The fungus was re-isolated from leaf and fruit lesions, confirming Koch's postulates. Leaf black spot of pomegranate caused by A. alternata was first described in India in 1988, and later in Israel in 2010 affecting both fruit and leaves (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of the disease in Spain, where it could represent a threat for pomegranate cultivation due to the increasing amount of area dedicated to this crop. References: (1) D. Ezra et al. Australas. Plant Dis. Notes 5:1, 2010. (2) T. Gat et al. Plant Dis. 96:1513, 2012. (3) N. L. Glass and G. C. Donaldson. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61:1323, 1995. (4) E. G. Simmons. Alternaria: An identification manual. CBS Fungal Biodiversity Center, Utrecht, Netherlands, 2007.

Effect of Environmental Factors on Mycelial Growth and Conidial Germination of Fusicladium eriobotryae, and the Infection of Loquat Leaves

In Spain, loquat scab, caused by Fusicladium eriobotryae, is usually controlled by fungicides when there are favorable conditions for infection. Lacking specific data on the effect of weather conditions on infection by F. eriobotryae, infection periods are predicted based on the Mills table for apple scab. Experiments were conducted to determine the influence of temperature, wetness duration, relative humidity (RH), and dry periods on mycelial growth, conidial germination, and infection of loquat leaves by F. eriobotryae. F. eriobotryae was able to grow and the conidia to germinate in a wide range of temperatures, whereas no germination occurred at RH < 100%. Maximum conidial germination occurred with 24 h of wetness and germination was strongly reduced by >10 h of dryness interrupting the wetness period. Loquat infection occurred between 10 and 20°C, and disease incidence and severity increased as the duration of wetness period increased. The combined effect of temperature and wetness duration on conidial germination of F. eriobotryae and infection of leaves was described by combining β and Gompertz equations, while the effect of dry periods on reducing the conidial germination was described by a logarithmic equation. The equations developed in this work provided a reasonable fit of the biological processes investigated and could be used for better disease control; they could be further integrated in a disease prediction system for scheduling fungicide sprays against loquat scab.

Monosporascus eutypoides, a Cause of Root Rot and Vine Decline in Tunisia, and Evidence that M. cannonballus and M. eutypoides Are Distinct Species

Three Monosporascus eutypoides-like isolates recovered from cucurbit plants with symptoms of Monosporascus root rot and vine decline in Tunisia were compared to 28 isolates of M. cannonballus from 12 countries for phenotypic, genomic, and pathogenicity characteristics. Morphologically, M. cannonballus and M. eutypoides-like cultures were similar, each producing fertile perithecia in culture containing globose, smooth, dark brown to black ascospores. Nevertheless, all M. cannonballus isolates had one ascospore per ascus, while M. eutypoides-like isolates had mainly two to three ascospores per ascus (rarely one). The employment of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA, the elongation factor 1-α (EF-1α), and the β-tubulin (β-tub) gene sequence diversity analyses and the resulting phylogenies identified a level of polymorphism that enabled separation of M. cannonballus and M. eutypoides-like isolates. All isolates of M. cannonballus had identical EF-1α and β-tub sequences irrespective of very diverse geographic origins, which were different from the EF-1α and β-tub sequences of the M. eutypoides-like isolates (96 and 97% similarity, respectively). Similar results were obtained for the ITS region of rDNA. In addition, of three M. eutypoides-like isolates tested for pathogenicity, all three were pathogenic on watermelon, two were pathogenic on muskmelon, but only one was pathogenic on cucumber. The results demonstrate that the M. eutypoides-like isolates belong to the species M. eutypoides, and that M. cannonballus and M. eutypoides are distinct species.

Isolation of a new Mexican strain of Bacillus subtilis with antifungal and antibacterial activities

Although several strains of B. subtilis with antifungal activity have been isolated worldwide, to date there are no published reports regarding the isolation of a native B. subtilis strain from strawberry plants in Mexico. A native bacterium (Bacillus subtilis 21) demonstrated in vitro antagonistic activity against different plant pathogenic fungi. Under greenhouse conditions, it was shown that plants infected with Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium verticillioides and treated with B. subtilis 21 produced augment in the number of leaves per plant and an increment in the length of healthy leaves in comparison with untreated plants. In addition, B. subtilis 21 showed activity against pathogenic bacteria. Secreted proteins by B. subtilis 21 were studied, detecting the presence of proteases and bacteriocin-like inhibitor substances that could be implicated in its antagonistic activity. Chitinases and zwittermicin production could not be detected. Then, B. subtilis 21 could potentially be used to control phytopathogenic fungi that infect strawberry plants.

Evaluation of Vineyard Weeds as Potential Hosts of Black-Foot and Petri Disease Pathogens

Weeds were sampled in grapevine rootstock mother fields, open-root field nurseries, and commercial vineyards of Albacete, Alicante, Castellón, Murcia, and Valencia provinces in Spain between June 2009 and June 2010 and evaluated as potential hosts of black-foot and Petri disease pathogens. Isolations were conducted in the root system and internal xylem tissues for black-foot and Petri disease pathogens, respectively. Cylindrocarpon macrodidymum was successfully isolated from the roots of 15 of 19 weed families evaluated and 26 of 52 weed species. Regarding Petri disease pathogens, one isolate of Phaeomoniella chlamydospora was obtained from Convolvulus arvensis, and three isolates of Cadophora luteo-olivacea were obtained from Bidens subalternans, Plantago coronopus, and Sonchus oleraceus. Pathogenicity tests showed that Cylindrocarpon macrodidymum isolates obtained from weeds were able to induce typical black-foot disease symptoms. When inoculated in grapevines, isolates of Cadophora luteo-olivacea and Phaeomoniella chlamydospora were also shown to be pathogenic on grapevine cuttings. Our ability to recover grapevine pathogens from vineyard weeds and to demonstrate pathogenicity of recovered strains on grape suggests that these weeds may serve as a source of inoculum for infection of grapevine.

Outbreak of a New Phytophthora sp. Associated with Severe Decline of Almond Trees in Eastern Spain

Since 2007, a decline of young almond trees (Prunus dulcis) has been observed in different field-grown nurseries in Valencia (east-central Spain). Early symptoms in affected trees included chlorosis, wilting, cankers, and profuse stem gumming. A Phytophthora sp. was consistently isolated from cankers, roots, and soil of affected trees. It was a heterothallic species with amphigynous and/or paragynous antheridia, and its morphological features did not conform to any of the described Phytophthora species. Pathogenicity was proved by artificial inoculation, completing Koch's postulates. All isolates were sensitive to the phenylamide fungicides metalaxyl and mefenoxam. Amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, translation elongation factor 1 alpha gene (EF-1α), the β-tubulin (β-tub) gene, and the region containing the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene fragment identified the species as Phytophthora taxon "niederhauserii", and phylogenetic analyses placed it in Phytophthora Clade 7b.

First Report of Circular Leaf Spot of Persimmon Caused by Mycosphaerella nawae in Spain

Production of persimmon (Diospyros kaki L. f.) has increased significantly during the last decade in Spain as a profitable alternative for fruit growers. In August 2008, after a mild and rainy spring, symptoms of a new disease were observed in commercial persimmon fields located in Valencia Province (eastern-central Spain). Symptoms included circular necrotic spots on the leaves and defoliation. Early fruit maturation and premature abscission were associated with early symptom development in the trees. A fungus was consistently isolated from the margins of leaf lesions. All isolates obtained were hyphal-tipped twice and transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA). The cultures grew slowly and reached a diameter of 21 to 29 (mean 26) mm within 4 weeks on PDA at 25°C in the dark. Mycelium was initially dark green and ultimately became dark gray to black. Several media and incubation conditions were tested to induce sporulation, but conidia formation was not observed. In April 2009, mature spherical pseudothecia were observed in lesions on fallen leaves that had remained in affected fields during the winter. Ascospores were uniseptate and mostly spindle shaped, 10 to 11.5 (mean 10.3) μm long, and 3 to 3.9 (mean 3.4) μm wide. Fungal colonies obtained from the ascospores were identical to those isolated from the leaf lesions. Morphological characters observed matched those described for the pathogen Mycosphaerella nawae Hiura & Ikata (1). In Korea, the circular leaf spot of persimmon caused by M. nawae was considered an economically important disease in the 1990s, especially in the southern regions (2). Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rDNA were obtained for isolates MY2 and MY3 and deposited in GenBank (Accession Nos. GQ465767 and GQ465768). These sequences were identical to each other and to the sequence obtained from a Korean isolate of M. nawae. Symptoms of the disease were reproduced after inoculation of 2-year-old persimmon trees growing in individual pots. A ground mycelial suspension (5 × 10⁵ CFU ml^-1) of strain MY2 was sprayed onto 20 potted trees (200 ml per individual tree) in late May of 2009. Ten trees were sprayed with sterile distilled water as a control. Trees were incubated at 20°C in a growth chamber with a 12-h photoperiod and covered with a semitransparent plastic hood for the first 10 days after inoculation, after which the plastic was punctured for ventilation and trees were incubated at 22°C. The first symptoms (small circular spots on the leaves) appeared on inoculated trees 15 days after inoculation. One month after inoculation, all inoculated trees showed circular leaf spots and severe defoliation, whereas noninoculated trees remained healthy. M. nawae was successfully reisolated from the lesions. To our knowledge, this is the first report of M. nawae causing circular leaf spot of persimmon in Spain. References: (1) J. H. Kwon et al. Plant Dis. Agric. 1:18, 1995. (2) J. H. Kwon et al. Korean J. Plant Pathol. 14:397, 1998.

First Report of Monosporascus cannonballus on Watermelon in Brazil

In 2008 and 2009, vine decline symptoms were observed in three watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai) fields located in the municipalities of Mossoró (Rio Grande do Norte State) and Quixeré (Ceará State) in northeastern Brazil. Symptoms included yellowing of crown leaves just prior to harvest and collapse of many of the vines. Mean maximum daily temperatures for the first and second half of the season were 28.6 and 25.1°C, respectively. Affected plants exhibited necrotic root systems and lacked most of the secondary and tertiary feeder roots. Numerous perithecia on the roots contained asci and ascospores characteristics of Monosporascus cannonballus Pollack & Uecker (1,2). Small pieces of primary and secondary roots were surface disinfected and plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium with 0.5 g liter^-1 of streptomycin sulfate and incubated for 7 days at 25°C in the dark. Hyphal tips from all colonies were transferred to PDA and further incubated for 30 to 40 days at 25°C in the dark for subsequent growth and sporulation. Isolations consistently yielded colonies of white mycelium, which became dark grayish after 10 to 15 days, and perithecia with one-spored asci. The internal transcribed spacer regions of ribosomal DNA of isolates 18-5 and 19-1 were sequenced (GenBank Accession Nos. GQ891544 and GQ891545). These sequences were identical to sequences of M. cannonballus (GenBank Accession Nos. AM167936 and AM167937). Pathogenicity of these two isolates was confirmed on watermelon cv. Crimson Sweet in a greenhouse maintained at 25 to 30°C. Inoculum was produced in a sand-oat hulls (Avena sativa) medium (0.5 liter of sand, 46 g of ground oat hulls, and 37.5 ml of distilled water) and incubated at 25°C for 1 month. CFU were quantified by serial dilution using 1% hydroxyethyl cellulose. A sterilized mixture of equal portions (vol/vol) of sand and peat moss was used to fill 17-cm-diameter plastic pots and inoculum was added to produce an inoculum concentration of 20 CFU g^-1. Five watermelon seeds planted in each pot were later thinned to one seedling per pot. There were five replicated pots for each treatment with an equal number of noninfested pots. Plants were evaluated for disease 45 days after sowing. All isolates of M. cannonballus were highly aggressive and caused severe root necrosis compared with the noninoculated controls. M. cannonballus was reisolated from symptomatic plants, confirming Koch's postulates. In 2004, M. cannonballus was reported in the same Brazilian cucurbit-growing areas causing root rot and vine decline of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) (3), but to our knowledge, this is the first report of M. cannonballus on watermelon in Brazil. References: (1) R. D. Martyn and M. E. Miller. Plant Dis. 80:716, 1996. (2) F. G. Pollack and F. A. Uecker. Mycologia 66:346, 1974. (3) R. Sales Jr. et al. Plant Dis. 88:84, 2004.

Comparison of Application Methods of Systemic Fungicides to Suppress Branch Cankers in Clementine Trees Caused by Phytophthora citrophthora

Since 2002, considerable losses of Clementine trees (Citrus clementina) have been observed in Spain due to Phytophthora branch canker of citrus caused by Phytophthora citrophthora. Due to the low efficiency of the available cultural and genetic control measures, application of fungicides is required for economic management of the disease. Fosetyl-Al, metalaxyl, and its enantiomer mefenoxam are the only systemic fungicides registered for control of Phytophthora diseases in Spain. However, their efficacy has not been tested against Phytophthora branch canker. Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted for 3 years in Spain to evaluate the ability of these fungicides and application methods to reduce lesion expansion. Nevertheless, with the inoculation technique used, it was not possible to evaluate the protective activity of fungicides, which can play an important role in their performance under field conditions. None of the fungicide treatments inhibited lesion expansion when applications were made on a curative basis. The residual effect was better on young than on mature trees. Paint treatments were generally more effective in reducing lesion expansion that drip chemigation or foliar sprays. However, this application method is laborious and becomes uneconomical in Spain. Trunk and branch sprays as well as long-term programs of foliar sprays or drip chemigation for control of spring and autumn infections are proposed as targets for future research.

First Report of Phaeoacremonium scolyti Causing Petri Disease of Grapevine in Spain

In May 2007, a survey was conducted to evaluate the phytosanitary status of grapevine propagating materials in a commercial nursery located in Valencia Province (eastern Spain). Fungal isolation was performed on 25 grafted plants (1-year-old grapevines cv. Tempranillo grafted onto 110 R rootstock) because they showed reduced root biomass and black discoloration of the xylem vessels. Sections (10 cm long) were cut from the basal end of the rootstocks, washed under running tap water, surface sterilized for 1 min in a 1.5% sodium hypochlorite solution, and washed twice with sterile distilled water. The sections were split longitudinally and small pieces of discolored tissues were placed onto malt extract agar (MEA) supplemented with streptomycin sulfate (0.5 g L^-1). Plates were incubated at 25°C in the dark for 14 to 21 days after which all colonies were transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA). Togninia minima (Tul. & C. Tul.) Berl. (anamorph Phaeoacremonium aleophilum W. Gams, Crous, M.J. Wingf. & Mugnai) and another Phaeoacremonium sp. were consistently isolated from necrotic tissues. Single conidial isolates of this Phaeoacremonium sp. were grown on PDA and MEA in the dark at 25°C for 2 to 3 weeks until colonies produced spores (3). Colonies were grayish brown on PDA and pinkish white on MEA. Conidiophores were mostly short and unbranched, 15 to 30 (mean 20.8) μm long, often consisting of an elongate-ampuliform phialide. Conidia were hyaline, oblong-ellipsoidal occasionally reniform or allantoid, 2.5 to 5.6 (mean 3.8) μm long, and 1 to 2.1 (mean 1.4) μm wide. On the basis of these characteristics, these isolates were identified as Phaeoacremonium scolyti L. Mostert, Summerb. & Crous (2,3). Identity of isolate Psc-1 was confirmed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism of the internal transcribed spacer region using Phaeoacremonium-specific primers Pm1-Pm2 and restriction enzymes BssKI, EcoO109I, and HhaI (1). Additionally, the β-tubulin gene fragment (primers T1 and Bt2b) of this isolate was sequenced (GenBank Accession No. EU260415). The sequence showed high similarity (98%) with the sequence of P. scolyti (GenBank Accession No. AY579292). Pathogenicity tests were conducted on 2-month-old grapevine seedlings (cv. Tempranillo) using the isolate Psc-1. Ten seedlings were inoculated when two to three leaves had emerged by watering the roots with 25 mL of a conidial suspension (10⁶ conidia mL^-1) harvested from 21-day-old cultures grown on PDA. Ten controls plants were inoculated with sterile distilled water. Seedlings were maintained in a greenhouse at 23 to 25°C. Within 2 months of inoculation, symptoms developed on all of the inoculated plants as crown necrosis, chlorotic leaves, severe defoliation, and wilting. Control plants did not show any symptoms. The fungus was reisolated from internal tissues of the crown area and the stems of all inoculated seedlings, completing Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. scolyti causing Petri disease in Spain. References: (1) A. Aroca and R. Raposo. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73:2911, 2007. (2) L. Mostert et al. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43:1752, 2005. (3) L. Mostert et al. Stud. Mycol. 54:1, 2006.

Effect of Cauliflower Residue Amendments and Soil Solarization on Verticillium Wilt Control in Artichoke

The effect of fresh cauliflower residue amendment alone and with a low dose of metham sodium (MS) combined with soil solarization was investigated for the control of Verticillium wilt of artichoke in two commercial fields under artichoke-cauliflower rotation. Treatments were a factorial combination of three main plots (an unamended control, soil amended with cauliflower residue, and a combination of cauliflower residue and a low dose of MS) and two subplots (application of a plastic cover or uncovered). Inoculum densities of Verticillium dahliae were measured before and after soil treatments as well as disease incidence, symptom severity, and yield. Although soil solarization reduced inoculum of V. dahliae and the incidence of Verticillium wilt of artichoke, no added benefit was obtained when solarization was used with cauliflower residue amendments. In addition to toxic volatile compounds, other mechanisms could be involved in disease suppression because the effects of incorporating cauliflower residue were not enhanced by the plastic covering. The effect of cauliflower residues on populations of V. dahliae microsclerotia in soil was inconsistent, possibly due to varying pretreatment inoculum levels. Treatments with cauliflower residue amendments and low doses of MS maintained low inoculum densities in the fields until the end of the growing season and significantly reduced the percentage of infected plants.

Comparative Epidemiology of Monosporascus Root Rot and Vine Decline in Muskmelon, Watermelon, and Grafted Watermelon Crops

Disease progression and soil population dynamics of Monosporascus cannonballus ascospores were studied and compared through the entire growing season in muskmelon, watermelon, and watermelon grafted onto Cucurbita rootstock crops. In muskmelon and watermelon, there was a decrease of ascospore counts in soil from transplanting until first symptoms of vine decline were observed. This decrease probably was related to ascospore germination and subsequent root infection. Later, there was a remarkable increase of ascospore counts in a parallel way to the quick development of vine decline symptoms, which lead to plant death. In these crops, root colonization adjusted to first-order linear equations and vine decline progression best correlated with exponential and logistic models. In contrast, there were no symptoms of vine decline on grafted watermelon. Furthermore, the isolation of M. cannonballus from Cucurbita roots was considerably lower, perithecia were never observed, and ascospore soil populations remained stable. These results suggest that disease control by grafting onto genus Cucurbita seems to be related primarily by the increased resistance of its root system to infection by M. canonballus, and provide further evidence of the use of grafting as a disease management measure for this disease.

Characterization of Cylindrocarpon Species Associated with Black Foot Disease of Grapevine in Spain

In this work, 82 Cylindrocarpon isolates associated with black foot disease of grapevines in Spain were studied by means of phenotypical characterization, DNA analyses, and pathogenicity tests. Partial sequences of the beta-tubulin (BT) gene, BT1, were amplified using primers BT1a and BT1b. A unique and conserved 52-bp insertion in the BT1 sequence, which is a specific marker for C. macrodidymum, was found in 56 of the isolates. The rest of the isolates (26) were identified as C. liriodendri. The BT phylogeny grouped all the isolates of each species into two well-supported clades. Phenotypical data were subjected to multivariate factorial analysis. According to this study, the isolates were clearly separated into two groups which were in agreement with BT species identification. C. macrodidymum isolates were differentiated from C. liriodendri by producing fewer conidia, presenting longer and wider macroconidia, and lower growth rate at 5 and 10°C. Selected isolates of each species inoculated onto rooted cuttings of grapevine rootstock cv. 110 R caused typical black foot disease symptoms. This is the first report of C. liriodendri and C. macrodidymum causing black foot disease of grapevines in Spain.

Inoculum Density-Disease Development Relationship in Verticillium Wilt of Artichoke Caused by Verticillium dahliae

The relationship between inoculum density of Verticillium dahliae in soil and disease development was studied in 10 commercial artichoke fields. Inoculum density of V. dahliae varied between 2.2 and 34.2 microsclerotia (ms) g^-1 of soil near planting. Artichoke plants were monitored for disease at the beginning and the end of each growing season. There was a significant correlation, which was best described by negative exponential models, between inoculum density and disease incidence, symptom severity, and recovery of the pathogen from the plants. Inoculum densities ranging from 5 to 9 ms g^-1 of soil were associated with a mean percentage of infected plants of about 50%. Additionally, three fields were monitored in two consecutive growing seasons to evaluate the population dynamics of V. dahliae microsclerotia in soil and disease development. Numbers of microsclerotia per gram of soil decreased significantly by the end of the first growing season but slightly increased at the end of the second growing season. In these fields, symptom severity was greatest during the second growing season when high percentages of infected plants also were recorded.

First Report of Phaeoacremonium mortoniae Causing Petri Disease of Grapevine in Spain

In May 2006, symptoms of grapevine decline were observed on 4-year-old grapevines (cv. Cabernet Sauvignon) grafted onto 110 R rootstock in Daimiel (Ciudad Real Province, central Spain). Affected vines had low vigor, reduced foliage, and chlorotic leaves. Cross or longitudinal sections of the rootstock trunk showed black spots and dark streaking of the xylem vessels. Five symptomatic plants were collected and analyzed for fungal isolation. Sections (10 cm long) were cut from the basal end of the rootstocks, washed under running tap water, surface sterilized for 1 min in a 1.5% sodium hypochlorite solution, and washed twice with sterile distilled water. The sections were split longitudinally and small pieces of discolored tissues were plated onto malt extract agar (MEA) supplemented with 0.5 g L^-1 of streptomycin sulfate. Plates were incubated at 25 to 26°C in the dark for 14 to 21 days and all colonies were transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA). A Phaeoacremonium sp. was consistently isolated from necrotic tissues. Single conidial isolates were obtained and grown on PDA and MEA in the dark at 25°C for 2 to 3 weeks until colonies produced spores (3). Colonies were yellowish white on PDA and white-to-pale gray on MEA. Conidiophores were short and unbranched, 12.5 to 37.5 (20.5) μm long, and often consisting of a single subcylindrical phialide. Conidia were hyaline, oblong to ellipsoidal or reniform, 2.5 to 7.5 (4.6) μm long, and 1.2 to 1.9 (1.6) μm wide. On the basis of these characteristics, the isolates were identified as Phaeoacremonium mortoniae (2,3). Identity of isolate Pmo-1 was confirmed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism of the internal transcribed spacer region (Phaeoacremonium-specific primers Pm1-Pm2) with the restriction enzymes BssKI, EcoO109I, and HhaI (1). Additionally, the β-tubulin gene fragment (primers T1 and Bt2b) of this isolate was sequenced (GenBank Accession No. EF517921). The sequence was identical to the sequence of P. mortoniae (GenBank Accession No. DQ173109). Pathogenicity tests were conducted on 2-month-old grapevine seedlings (cv. Tempranillo) using two isolates, Pmo-1 and a reference isolate of P. mortoniae (CBS-101585) obtained from the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (Utrecht, the Netherlands). Seedlings were inoculated when two to three leaves had emerged by watering the roots with 25 mL of a conidial suspension (10⁶ conidia mL^-1) harvested from 21-day-old cultures grown on PDA. Controls were inoculated with sterile distilled water. There were 20 replicates for each isolate with an equal number of uninoculated plants. Seedlings were maintained in a greenhouse at 23 to 25°C. Within 2 months after inoculation, symptoms developed as reduced growth, chlorotic leaves, severe defoliation, and finally wilting. Control plants did not show any of these symptoms. The fungus was reisolated from internal tissues of the crown area and the stems of all inoculated seedlings, completing Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. mortoniae causing young grapevine decline in Spain. References: (1) A. Aroca and R. Raposo. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73:2911, 2007. (2) M. Groenewald et al. Mycol. Res. 105:651, 2001. (3) L. Mostert et al. Stud. Mycol. 54:1, 2006.

First Report of Leaf Spot, Blight, and Stem Lesions Caused by Cylindrocladium pauciramosum on Callistemon in Spain

Callistemons (Callistemon citrinus (Curtis) Skeels), evergreen plants of the family Myrtaceae, are commonly grown in Mediterranean gardens for their red bottlebrush-like flowers. During November of 2006, 1-year-old potted plants of callistemon showed leaf spots and blight in commercial nurseries in Valencia, Spain. Symptoms consisted initially of minute brown spots on the leaves, developing into black-gray blotches that finally coalesced. Diseased plants also showed stem lesions and blight of young shoots. Approximately 30% of the plants were affected. A Cylindrocladium sp. was isolated consistently from the infected tissues. Six single conidial isolates were grown on carnation leaf agar (CLA) under near-UV light at 25°C for 7 days (1). The macroconidiophores comprised of a stipe, a sterile elongation, and a penicillated arrangement of primary, secondary, and tertiary branches. The stipes were septate, 110 to 175 (138) μm long, with a terminal obpyriform vesicle measuring 3.75 to 7.5 (5.8) μm wide. Phialides (12.5 × 3.6 μm) were hyaline, doliiform to reniform, with conidia 40 to 55 × 3.7 to 5 μm, cylindrical with rounded ends, aseptate or one septate. Chlamydospores were brown and formed microsclerotia. These features conformed to the description of Cylindrocladium pauciramosum (3). Further confirmation was obtained by sequence analysis. The 5' end of the β-tubulin gene was amplified using primers T1 and βt2b (2). Comparison with other sequences in GenBank revealed that the isolates described here were identical with C. pauciramosum (Accession No. AY880064) isolated from Ceanothus in the UK. To confirm pathogenicity, 1-year-old plants of callistemon were inoculated with two isolates by spraying with a spore suspension of the fungus (1 × 10⁵ conidia per ml) obtained from 14-day-old single spore colonies on CLA. Control plants were treated with sterile distilled water. After inoculation, all plants were maintained in plastic bags and kept at 22 ± 2°C. Four days after inoculation, the plants developed symptoms similar to those observed in natural infections, and C. pauciramosum was reisolated, successfully completing Koch's postulates. No symptoms were observed on the control plants. C. pauciramosum has been recorded on several hosts, including Callistemon citrinus, in Italy (4). To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. pauciramosum on callistemon in Spain. References: (1) P. W. Crous and M. J. Wingfield. Mycotaxon 51:341, 1994. (2) B. Henricot and A. Culham. Mycologia 94:980, 2002. (3) C. L. Schoch et al. Mycologia 91:286, 1999. (4) C. L. Schoch et al. Plant Dis. 85:941, 2001.

First Report of Leaf Spot and Twig Blight of Rhododendron spp. Caused by Phytophthora hibernalis in Spain

During the early spring of 2004, an estimated 20% of containerized nursery stocks of Rhododendron spp. in Asturias (northern Spain) were affected by a foliar disease that has reoccurred annually. Leaf spots were dark brown to almost black, generally oval to round, visible from both sides of the leaf, and expanded to affect the entire leaf including the petiole. Affected leaves abscised from the plant. A Phytophthora sp. was consistently isolated from symptomatic leaf tissues on PARBH medium (3) and hyphal tips were transferred onto potato dextrose agar (PDA). Colonies grown on PDA at 20°C were submerged, had a growth rate of 2.2 mm/day, and had lobes of compact mycelium. Sporangia were semipapillate and caducous with a pedicel (20.0-) 37.7 (-52.5) μm long. Sporangia were asymmetrical in shape with the broadest point near the apex: 25.2 to 40.4 μm long × 10.2 to 15.8 μm wide (average 33.1 × 12.6 μm), and length/width ratio was 2.8:1. Chlamydospores were not observed. Isolates were homothallic and oogonia ranged from 26.5 to 27.5 μm in diameter. Antheridia were mostly amphigynous but occasionally paragynous. Oospores were plerotic and 23.1 to 25.5 μm in diameter. These characteristics conformed to those of Phytophthora hibernalis Carne (2). Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions on the isolates and comparison with other sequences in GenBank showed that they were identical to P. hibernalis (Accession No. AY827556.1 from Citrus sp.). For pathogenicity tests, four isolates of P. hibernalis were used to inoculate detached leaves of Rhododendron hybrid Brigitte. The underside of five detached leaves was inoculated with a drop of 40 μL of a suspension of 10⁴ zoospores/ml. Controls were inoculated with a 40-μL drop of sterile distilled water. Leaves were incubated in a moist chamber at 20°C in the dark. A quantification of the lesion area was made 8 days after inoculation using the software Assess-APS. All inoculated leaves developed necrotic lesions that ranged from 0.246 to 1.512 cm². P. hibernalis was reisolated from infected tissue. Symptoms were not detected on the controls. The test was repeated twice and similar results were obtained each time. P. hibernalis has been described previously as causing brown rot on citrus in Spain (4) and was isolated from rhododendron plants in California and Oregon (1). To our knowledge, this is the first record of P. hibernalis causing foliar blight on Rhododendron species in Spain as well as in Europe. References: (1) C. Blomquist et al. Online publication. doi:10.1094/PHP-2005-0728- 01-HN. Plant Health Progress, 2005. (2) D. C. Erwin and O. K. Ribeiro. Phytophthora Diseases Worldwide. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul MN. 1996. (3) S. N. Jeffers and S. B. Martin. Plant Dis. 70:1038, 1986. (4) J. J. Tuset. An. Inst. Nac. Investig. Agrar. Ser. Prot. Veg. N.7, 1977.

Rain Fastness and Persistence of Fungicides for Control of Alternaria Brown Spot of Citrus

Field persistence and simulated rain experiments were conducted to determine the residual activity and rain fastness of several fungicides used for the control of Alternaria brown spot of citrus. Fungicidal activity persisted well in simulated rain experiments, despite the high rainfall amounts tested (40 mm in 2004 and 90 mm in 2005). However, most of the fungicides showed a significant reduction of disease control on fruit of 'Fortune' mandarin in the orchard after natural rain in 2004. Fruit growth rate was low and did not appear to play an important role in decline of fungicide residues. Copper products showed longer residual activity on fruit and higher rain fastness than did mancozeb, difenoconazole, iprodione, famoxadone, and pyraclostrobin. Cuprous oxide and copper oxychloride SC provided satisfactory disease control on fruit through 28 days and withstood 71 mm of rainfall in the orchard. A 4-week schedule with copper compounds is proposed for disease control on Fortune fruit during periods of weather favorable for disease development. Respray to replace fungicide deposit seems to be necessary only after heavy or wind-driven rains. With this program, about half of the sprays applied per season for fruit protection could be saved compared with the current schedule in Spain.

First Report of Gummy Stem Blight Caused by Didymella bryoniae on Grafted Watermelon in Tunisia

During the summer of 2006, severe losses were observed in grafted watermelons in the Testour Region in northern Tunisia. Disease symptoms included stem cankers and necrosis and rot of the grafting area that extended a few centimeters along watermelon vines with the production of a brown gummy exudation. Lesions were not observed on leaves or nongrafted plants. Affected plants wilted and eventually died. The presence of small pseudothecia as black specks was observed embedded in the cankers. Isolations from the stems and crown of symptomatic plants onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) supplemented with 0.5 mg/ml of streptomycin sulfate consistently yielded cultures of a fungal agent. These isolates were transferred to PDA and V8 juice agar and incubated at 23°C for 1 month with a 12-h photoperiod. On PDA, they produced numerous pycnidia with hyaline, cylindrical, one-septate conidia, with mean dimensions of 6.7 × 2.5 μm. On V8 juice agar, they produced sparse ostiolate pseudothecia with bitunicate asci and hyaline, oval, one-septate ascospores, with mean dimensions of 13.7 × 5.1 μm. On the basis of these characters, the isolates were identified as Didymella bryoniae (anamorph Phoma cucurbitacearum) (1,2). To further confirm this identification, the complete internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2, including the 5.8S ribosomal DNA, of isolates Di-3 and Di-4 were sequenced (GenBank Accession Nos. EF107641 and EF 107642). These sequences were identical to sequences in GenBank from isolates of D. bryoniae (Accession Nos. AF297228 and AF495850). Pathogenicity tests were conducted on watermelon seedlings cv. Giza and Cucurbita hybrid rootstock seedlings cv. Strong Toza using two isolates, Di-3 and Di-4. Seedlings were inoculated at the two- to three-leaf stage. A 5-mm diameter agar disc, cut from the margin of an 8-day-old culture growing on PDA, was inserted in a basal stem wound made with a sterile scalpel at 2 cm above ground level and sealed with Parafilm. Controls were inoculated with sterile PDA discs. There were 10 replicates for each isolate and host with an equal number of uninoculated plants. Seedlings were maintained in a greenhouse at 23 to 25°C. Within 10 to 15 days after inoculation, symptoms developed as water-soaked lesions followed by necrosis and finally wilting. The fungus was reisolated from the stems of all inoculated plants, completing Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. bryoniae in Tunisia. References: (1) A. P. Keinath et al. Phytopathology 85:364, 1995. (2) E. Punithalingam and P. Holliday. No. 332 in: Descriptions of Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria. CMI, Kew, Surrey, UK, 1972.

Bleeding Canker on Mesquite in Peru caused by Phytophthora syringae

Mesquite (Prosopis pallida (Wildenow) Kunth) is a drought-tolerant tree widely distributed in the northern Pacific Coast of South America. This species prevents soil erosion, provides shade, conserves prairies, supports bee nutrition, and provides fruits for human and animal consumption. Since the spring of 2004, bark lesions and bleeding cankers were observed on trunks and branches of 70% of declining mesquite trees in some parks at Ica in southern Peru. Badly affected trees were killed by the disease. Isolations were made from the edge of necrotic lesions of the inner bark and roots using PARPH medium (2) and incubated at 22°C for 7 days. A Phytophthora species was consistently isolated from lesions of 10 mesquite trees, and six pure cultures (PS-87-PS-92) were obtained by transferring hyphal tips and characterized. Colonies were stellate on V8 juice agar (VJA; 2 g CaCO₃, 200 ml of V8 juice, and 15 g of agar in 800 ml of distilled water), uniform to slightly radiate on corn meal agar (Oxoid Ltd., London, England), and knotty on PDA (Biokar Diagnostics, Beauvais, France). On VJA at 22°C, the average radial growth rate for the six isolates was 1.7 mm per day. Colonies grew slowly at 5 and 25°C with 0.4 and 0.7 mm per day growth rate, respectively. There was no growth at 30°C. Catenulate hyphal swellings formed on VJA and liquid media (1.5% sterile soil extract). Sporangia were persistent, ovoid to obpyriform, semipapillate with narrow exit pores (<5.0 μm in diameter), 32.3 to 39.7 × 21.0 to 27.2 μm, with a length/width ratio of 1.4:1 to 1.6:1. Sporangia were produced by cutting 5-mm disks from the advancing margin of a colony on VJA and adding disks to 10 ml of 1.5% sterile soil extract for 4 to 5 days at 22°C under fluorescent light. Isolates were homothallic with spherical oogonia, 32 to 35 μm in width with paragynous antheridia, and aplerotic oospores, 26 to 31 μm. These characteristics fit the descriptions of Phytophthora syringae (Kleb.) Kleb. (1). Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions on the isolates and comparison with other sequences in GenBank showed that they were identical to P. syringae (Accession No. AJ854297 from Citrus limon). In 2005, two methods were used to inoculate mesquite with two isolates. One method used two 20-mm-diameter branches of five 5-year-old mesquite trees where a 5-mm wound was made with a cork borer and a 5-mm block of the agar culture was placed under the bark and sealed with Parafilm. Another method used 10 4-month-old potted plants that received a 30-ml drench of a 10⁴ zoospores/ml suspension per plant. Controls received clean agar blocks and a sterile water drench for 10 control pots. Two weeks after inoculation, black areas and resinosis were observed around inoculated wounds. Inoculated branches produced cankers of 4.7 to 6.8 cm², 4 weeks after inoculations. Twenty days after inoculation of roots, wilting and root rots of seedlings occurred. No symptoms were found on the control plants. P. syringae was reisolated from the diseased branches and root rots and pure cultures were established. This test was repeated for both methods with similar results. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. syringae in Peru and the first description of this pathogen on mesquite worldwide. References: (1) D. C. Erwin and O. K. Ribeiro. Phytophthora Diseases Worldwide. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul MN. 1996. (2) S. N. Jeffers and S. B. Martin. Plant Dis. 70:1038, 1986.

Lavender Cotton Root Rot: A New Host of Phytophthora tentaculata Found in Spain

Lavender cotton, Santolina chamaecyparissus, is an evergreen shrub growing primarily in dry, calcareous habitats and is grown in rock gardens and mixed borders mainly for its ornamental and aromatic foliage. During 2004, several commercial nurseries in Valencia Province (eastern Spain) reported high mortality of lavender cotton. The foliage of the diseased plants turned brown, wilted, and died. A Phytophthora sp. was isolated consistently from the soil and roots of infected plants using apple baits and the selective medium PARBH (1), respectively. Four pure cultures (PS-31, PS-32, PS-33, and PS-34) were established from hyphal tips and characterized. Colony morphology on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 24°C was stoloniferous (short stubby branches) with a growth rate of 2.2 mm per day. Sporangia, chlamydospores, and oospores were produced on V8 agar. The sporangia were ovoid to obpyriform, 27.5 to 64.8 (48.3) × 25 to 52.5 (37.5) μm, length/breadth ratio of 1.3:1, and papillate, from which 20% were caducous with a short pedicel (<5 μm). Hyphal swellings and chlamydospores (22 to 38 μm in diameter) were present. Isolates were homothallic, oogonia were globose, mostly terminal 27.5 to 40 (36.2) μm in diameter, 88% of the antheridia were paragynous, monoclinous, or diclinous, and occasionally with two paragynous antheridia per oogonium. Amphigynous antheridia (12%) were also observed. Oospores were aplerotic, 25 to 35 (32.3) μm in diameter, and thin walled. These characteristics and measurements conformed to the description of P. tentaculata described by Kröber and Marwitz (2). Sequencing the internal transcribed spacer region of Santolina isolates PS-32 and PS-34 and comparison of these sequences with other sequences available in GenBank revealed that they were identical to P. tentaculata (AF266775). Pathogenicity tests used 10 4-to-5-month-old potted lavender cotton and two methods. In the first method, inoculum was prepared on a media of 200 g of oats and 120 ml of V8 juice to 1 liter of distilled water. The medium was inoculated with P. tentaculata grown on PDA and incubated in the dark at 20°C for 4 weeks. Inoculum was buried into the compost mixture around the roots at a rate of 3% (w/v). The second method applied a zoospore drench of 50 ml per plant (1 × 10⁴ zoospores per ml) obtained by inducing zoospores in sterile soil extract from cultures of V8 juice agar. The control plants were inoculated with sterile media and sterile distilled water. The following day, the pots were flooded for 2 days, plants were maintained in a glasshouse at 24 ± 5°C, and watered twice a week. All plants inoculated with the first method had wilted foliage and died within 2 months after inoculation, while plants inoculated with zoospores died after 3 months. P. tentaculata was reisolated and the test was repeated twice. The control plants did not show any symptoms of the disease. P. tentaculata was first reported causing root and stalk rot on Chrysanthemum frutescens hybrids, C. leucanthemum, Delphinium ajacis, and Verbena hybrids in Germany (2). It has also been reported on Verbena hybrids in Spain (3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. tentaculata causing root rot on lavender cotton. References: (1) S. N. Jeffers and S. B. Martin. Plant Dis. 70:1038, 1986. (2) H. Kröber and R. Marwitz. Z. Pflanzenkr. Pflanzenschutz 100:250, 1993. (3) E. Moralejo et al. Plant Pathol. 53:806, 2004.

Outbreak of Pitch Canker Caused by Fusarium circinatum on Pinus spp. in Northern Spain

During the winter of 2003-2004, dieback symptoms were observed on Pinus radiata and P. pinaster in pine nurseries in Asturias (northern Spain). Small groups of affected seedlings appeared randomly distributed throughout the nurseries. The seedlings died rapidly, showing basal needle dieback, stem lesions, resin exudations, and wilting. Isolations from infected material onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) supplemented with 0.5 mg/ml of streptomycin sulfate and Komada's medium consistently yielded Fusarium sp. cultures. The isolates were transferred to PDA and Spezieller Nährstoffarmer agar and incubated at 25°C for 10 days with a 12-h photoperiod. The cultures were identified as Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg & O'Donnell (= Fusarium subglutinans Wollenweb. & Reinking), causal agent of pitch canker disease, on basis of the presence of polyphialides and characteristic sterile, coiled, hyphae (2). To further confirm their identity, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) based on histone H3 gene sequences (4) and a test based on the F. circinatum-specific primers, CIRC1A-CIRC4A, which amplifies a 360-bp DNA fragment of the intergenic spacer region of the nuclear ribosomal operon (3), were used. Results obtained with both techniques confirmed the morphological identification of the cultures. A representative culture has been placed in the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (CBS 117843). The pathogen was isolated only from seedlings of P. radiata and P. pinaster. Other species such as P. nigra, P. sylvestris, and Pseudotsuga menziesii, which were also grown in these nurseries, did not show symptoms. Pathogenicity was confirmed by inoculating 6- to 9-month-old P. radiata and P. pinaster seedlings. Small strips of bark (10 × 1 mm) were cut from the stems and similar sized pieces of PDA colonized by F. circinatum were placed in contact with the open wounds and covered with parafilm. Basal needle dieback was observed 10 days after inoculation that resulted in wilting of the seedlings. F. circinatum was reisolated from the affected stems fulfilling Koch's postulates. Later in the year, symptoms of pitch canker were also observed on 20-year-old P. radiata in one forest plantation in Cantabria (northern Spain). Infected branches and shoots of the trees exudated abundant resin, resulting in resinous cankers. The needles, distal to branch tip infections, wilt, fade to yellow then red, and fall from the tree. Affected trees showed noticeable crown dieback. The isolations from the cankers also yielded F. circinatum cultures that were identified as described above. Although a nonrefereed report appeared in 1998 (1), to our knowledge, this is the first report of F. circinatum on P. radiata and P. pinaster in Spain and in Europe. References: (1) L. D. Dwinell et al. Int. Congr. Plant Pathol. 7th. 3:9, 1998. (2) H. I. Nirenberg and K. O'Donnell. Mycologia 90:434, 1998. (3) W. Schweigkofler et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70:3512, 2004. (4) E. T. Steenkamp et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65:3401, 1999.

First Report of Phoma exigua var. heteromorpha Causing Oleander Dieback in Spain

During the autumn of 2003, a new disease was detected in oleander (Nerium oleander L.) nurseries in Valencia and Murcia in eastern Spain. Affected leaves showed ovoid or ellipsoid necrotic spots. Necrotic lesions were also observed on stems and lateral shoots that resulted in severe blight and defoliation. In some cases, severe infections caused the death of plants. Isolations from symptomatic leaves and stems onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) supplemented with 0.5 g liter^-1 of streptomycin sulfate (PDAS) consistently yielded dark olivaceous fungal colonies. For sporulation, these isolates were transferred to potato carrot agar (PCA) and incubated at 25°C for 15 days with a 12-h photoperiod. Abundant pycnidia (200 μm in diameter) developed superficially or immersed in the culture medium. Conidia were hyaline, ellipsoid or cylindrical, guttulate, and occasionally, one septate. Conidial dimensions were 6.1 to 9.6 × 2.2 to 3.2 μm (average 6.2 × 2.8 μm). The addition of a drop of concentrated NaOH to the cultures gave a blue-green pigmentation to the agar changing to brown-red. On the basis of cultural characteristics and fungal morphology, the isolates were identified as Phoma exigua Desmaz. This identification was confirmed by sequencing the complete internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2, including the 5.8S ribosomal DNA of isolate Pho 6 (GenBank Accession No. AY899262). This sequence was identical to sequences in GenBank from well-characterized strains of P. exigua (1). Pathogenicity tests were conducted on 9-month-old oleander plants (cv. Splendens Gigantium) using three isolates of P. exigua from different locations. Two methods of inoculation were used. Leaves were spray inoculated with an aqueous suspension (1.5 × 10⁵ conidia per ml) of conidia harvested from 15-day-old cultures grown on PCA, or a 5-mm-diameter agar disc, cut from the margin of an 8-day-old culture growing on PCA, was inserted mycelium side down in a stem wound made with a sterile scalpel and sealed with Parafilm. Controls were inoculated with sterile distilled water or sterile PCA discs. There were five replicates for each isolate and inoculation method with an equal number of uninoculated plants. After inoculation, all plants were covered separately with plastic bags for 48 h to maintain high humidity. Plants were maintained in a greenhouse at 20 to 30°C. Within 5 to 15 days after inoculation, symptoms developed that were similar to those observed in the nurseries. The fungus was reisolated from the stems and leaves of all inoculated plants, completing Koch's postulates. On the basis of ITS sequence data and the host from which they were isolated, our isolates were identified as P. exigua var. heteromorpha (Sch. et Sacc.) Noordeloos et Boerema (2,3). This disease has been previously reported to cause severe damage to oleander in France, California, Italy, and the Netherlands. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. exigua var. heteromorpha on oleander in Spain. References: (1) E. C. A. Abeln et al. Mycol. Res. 106:419, 2002. (2) M. E. Noordeloos and G. H. Boerema. Versl. Meded. Plziektenk. Dienst. Wageningen 166:108, 1988. (3) H. A. van der AA et al. Persoonia 17:435, 2000.

First Report of Monosporascus cannonballus on Melon in Brazil

Approximately 15,000 ha of melon (Cucumis melo L.) are grown in the northeastern section of Brazil, mostly for export to Europe during the winter months. Surveys for melon vine decline diseases were carried out in farms in the municipalities of Mossoró (Rio Grande do Norte) and Quixeré (Ceará) during 2002 and 2003. Symptoms typical of vine decline were observed in several fields and included yellowing of crown leaves just prior to harvest and collapse of many of the vines. Affected plants exhibited necrotic root systems and lacked most of the secondary and tertiary feeder roots. Numerous perithecia were observed on roots which, when examined with a microscope, showed characteristic asci and ascospores of the fungus Monosporascus cannonballus Pollack & Uecker (2). Isolations were made from the crown region and primary and secondary roots of affected plants by excising 4- to 6-mm pieces that were surface sterilized for 30 to 60 s with 1.5% active chlorine solution. Seven tissue pieces from each plant part were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) containing 0.5 g liter^-1 of streptomycin sulfate. Plates were examined daily for fungal growth for 7 days, and hyphal tips from all colonies were transferred to PDA for subsequent growth and sporulation. M. cannonballus was isolated from 50% of the root sections. All isolates produced only one ascospore per ascus. Pathogenicity of four isolates was confirmed in the greenhouse on the muskmelon cv. Temprano Rochet. Inoculum was produced in a sand-oat hulls (Avena sativa L.) medium (0.5 liter of sand, 46 g of ground oat hulls, and 37.5 ml of distilled water) and incubated at 25°C for 1 month. Colony forming units (CFU) were quantified by serial dilution using 1% hydroxyethyl cellulose. A sterilized mixture of equal portions (vol/vol) of sand and peat moss was used to fill plastic pots (17 cm in diameter), and inoculum was added to produce an inoculum concentration of 20 CFU g^-1. Five melon seeds were planted in each pot and after germination, were thinned to one seedling per pot. There were five replicated pots for each treatment with an equal number of uninfested pots. Plants were evaluated for disease 45 days after sowing. Roots were exposed by carefully washing the potting mix away. All isolates of M. cannonballus tested were highly aggressive and caused severe root necrosis compared with the noninoculated control plants. M. cannonballus was reisolated from symptomatic plants, confirming Koch's postulates. Double cropping in the same fields for several years has created serious problems in Brazil, which are related to this soilborne pathogen that also causes root rot and vine decline of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai) worldwide (1). To our knowledge this is the first report of M. cannonballus in Brazil and South America. References: (1) R. D. Martyn and M. E. Miller. Plant Dis. 80:716, 1996. (2) F. G. Pollack and F. A. Uecker. Mycologia 66:346, 1974.

First Report of Basal Rot of Leek Caused by Fusarium culmorum in Spain

A severe basal rot of leek (Allium porrum L.) was first observed in 1996 in Sueca (Valencia) eastern Spain, and again from 1998 to 2000 in several fields in Haro (La Rioja) northern Spain, where the disease caused significant economic losses. Leeks were stunted, wilted, and had water-soaked tissues with a characteristic reddish purple discoloration at the base of the stem. Affected plants could be pulled up easily because of rotting of the basal plate and root system. Similar symptoms were also observed on seedlings 2 to 3 weeks after transplanting. Isolations from symptomatic stems and roots onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) supplemented with 0.5 mg/ml of streptomycin sulfate (PDAS) consistently yielded a Fusarium sp. Isolates were transferred to potato sucrose agar (PSA) and synthetic low nutrient agar (SNA) and incubated at 25°C for 10 days with a 12-h photoperiod. The isolates were identified as Fusarium culmorum (Wm. G. Sm.) Sacc. based on colony morphology on PSA and phialide and conidial morphology on SNA. This disease has been described on garlic (1), but there are few reports about its incidence on leek (2). Pathogenicity tests were conducted on leek cvs. Alora, Axel, Casado, Goliath, and Varea using five isolates of F. culmorum from different locations. Ninety-day-old seedlings were inoculated by introducing a spore suspension to obtain a soil infested with the fungus at 10⁴ colony-forming units (CFU)/g of potting mix (a sterilized mixture of equal portions [v/v] of soil, sand, and peat moss). Plants were maintained in a greenhouse at 20 to 30°C. Within 45 to 70 days after inoculation, symptoms developed that were similar to those observed in the field. The fungus was reisolated from affected plants, completing Koch's postulates. All isolates were pathogenic, and all leek cvs. were highly susceptible to the pathogen. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. culmorum affecting leek in Spain. References: (1) F. J. Crowe et al. Phytopathology 76:1094, 1986. (2) G. Tamietti and A. Garibaldi. Riv. di Patol. Veg. IV. 13:69, 1977.

First Report of Alternaria Brown Spot of Citrus in Spain

In 1998, a new disease of Fortune mandarin trees was detected in orchards in the eastern province of Valencia. This is one of the most important late-maturing cultivars grown in Spain. Symptoms were typical of Alternaria brown spot of citrus (2). Young leaves showed brown necrotic and irregular blighted areas with characteristic yellow halos. The necrosis had a tendency to follow the veins. On fruits, symptoms included light brown, slightly depressed spots to circular and dark brown areas on the external surface. Infected young fruits and leaves often fell and the mature fruits were unmarketable due to lesions, resulting in important economic losses. Isolations on potato dextrose agar supplemented with 0.5 mg/ml of streptomycin sulfate (PDAS) from affected leaves and fruits consistently yielded Alternaria alternata (Fr.:Fr.) Keissl., which was identified based on conidial morphological characteristics. Pathogenicity tests were conducted using 15 isolates from fruit and leaves by inoculating detached immature Fortune leaves with a sterile water suspension of 5 × 10⁵ conidia per ml. Drops of this suspension (40 μl each) were placed on the lower surfaces of each leaflet using four leaves per isolate. Leaves were incubated in a moist chamber in the dark at 27°C (1). After 48 h, most of these isolates caused necrotic lesions on the leaves similar to those observed in the field, and the fungus was reisolated, confirming Koch's postulates. In 1999, the fungus spread to other citrus-growing areas, and to date the disease has been detected affecting Fortune and Nova mandarins and Minneola tangelo. This is the first report of Alternaria brown spot of citrus in Spain. References: (1) K. Kohmoto et al. Phytopathology 81:719, 1991. (2) J. O. Whiteside. Plant Dis. Rep. 60:326, 1976.

A Tuber Rot of Cyperus esculentus Caused by Rosellinia necatrix

Tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) is cultivated in Spain for the production of tiger nut milk. Over the past 5 years, important economic losses resulting from a new tuber rot have been observed near Valencia in eastern Spain. Affected tubers were covered by a white mycelium that turned black as the disease advanced, leading to a general rotting of tubers. Aboveground plant parts showed some early decay and under high-moisture environmental conditions the white mycelium was present on the soil surface. This mycelium showed pyriform swellings characteristic of Rosellinia necatrix Prill., and coremia were occasionally observed on external surfaces of tubers after incubation in a moist chamber for 1 to 2 months. Coremia produced small ellipsoid or obovoid single-celled conidia 3.7 to 5.0 × 2.0 to 2.2 μm. The teleomorph has not been observed. Pathogenicity tests were conducted with inoculum produced on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seeds that were soaked for 12 h in flasks filled with distilled water. Each flask contained 300 ml of seeds that were subsequently autoclaved after excess water was drained. Two fungal disks of a 2-week-old culture of R. necatrix grown on potato dextrose agar were placed aseptically in each flask. The flasks were incubated at 25°C for 4 weeks, and shaken once a week to avoid clustering of inoculum. Two plastic pots (35 cm in diameter) per isolate were filled with a sterilized mixture of equal portions (vol/vol) of soil, sand, and peat moss, and inoculum was added at a concentration of 30 g of infected wheat seeds per 1,200 g of substrate (1). Healthy tubers were surface disinfested in 1.5% (vol/vol) sodium hypochlorite for 1 min, washed twice in sterile water, sown, and subsequently thinned to one per pot after emergence. Plants were grown under field conditions. Six months after inoculation, symptomatic tubers appeared similar to those originally observed in the field. The fungus was reisolated from affected tubers, confirming Koch's postulates. Pathogenicity tests were also conducted on avocado (cv. Reed) and almond (cv. Garriges) seedlings, and apple rootstock (MM-106) as very susceptible host plants for R. necatrix (1). Inoculated plants showed symptoms of wilting and death 4 weeks after inoculation. The fungus was reisolated from affected plants. This is the first report of C. esculentus as a host of R. necatrix. Reference: (1) A. Sztejnberg and Z. Madar. Plant Dis. 64: 662, 1980.

First Report of Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae Race 1 in Spain

A crown, root, and fruit rot of squash (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne) was first observed in 1995 and again in 1996 in several fields in the eastern provinces of Valencia and Castellón. When plants approach maturity they exhibited a severe cortical rot at the base of the stem and the upper portion of the taproot causing yellowing and wilting of the leaves. Within a few days of the first symptoms of crown rot, affected plants usually died. Soft, circular lesions developed where fruit were in contact with soil. Isolations on potato dextrose agar supplemented with 0.5 mg/ml of streptomycin sulfate (PDAS) from the crown of symptomatic plants and fruits yielded primarily a Fusarium sp. Isolates were transferred to potato sucrose agar (PSA) and Bilay's medium, modified by Joffe (SNA), and incubated at 25°C for 10 days with a 12-h photoperiod. The isolates were identified as Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. based on colony morphology on PSA and fungal morphology on SNA. C. maxima (cv. Dulce de Horno) seedlings (eight replicates per isolate) grown on a sterilized mixture of equal portions (vol/vol) of soil, sand, and peat moss were inoculated at the first true leaf stage by introducing a 10-ml spore suspension (10⁶ spores per ml) at the base of plants. Symptoms appeared in 14 to 21 days as linear, coalescing, cortical lesions in the hypocotyl of inoculated plants and ultimately caused seedling death. There were no differences observed in the five isolates tested, regardless of origin. Mature fruits were inoculated by injecting spore suspension (10⁶ spores per ml) into the mesocarp. Within 14 to 21 days after inoculation, lesions developed similar to those observed in the field. Stem isolates were pathogenic on the fruit, and fruit isolates were pathogenic on stems. Reference isolates NRLL 22165 and NRRL 22449 for race 1, and NRRL 20545 and NRRL 22144 for race 2, provided by K. O'Donnell, were also tested as positive controls. Only race 1 isolates caused seedling death. In each study, the fungus was reisolated, confirming Koch's postulates. Based on these results and disease symptoms in the field, the fungus was classified as F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae W. C. Snyder & H. N. Hans race 1, which causes a root, stem, and fruit rot, whereas race 2 causes only a fruit rot (1). F. solani also was isolated from seeds removed from diseased fruits. This is the first report of the presence of F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae race 1 in Spain. Reference: (1) T. A. Tousson and W. C. Snyder. Phytopathology 51:17, 1961.