Journal
AGRICULTURE-BASEL
Volume 11, Issue 6, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/agriculture11060536
Keywords
citrus germplasm; disease symptoms; fungal diseases; genetic improvement; blood oranges
Categories
Funding
- Programma Ricerca di Ateneo MEDIT-ECO UNICT 2020-2022 Linea 2-University of Catania (Italy)
- University of Catania (Italy)
- Fondi di Ateneo 2020-2022, University of Catania (Italy)
- University of Catania [5A722192134]
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The study in Sicily revealed varying degrees of susceptibility or tolerance among different citrus varieties to diseases caused by Alternaria and Colletotrichum fungi. These findings provide valuable guidance for selecting citrus varieties to combat these diseases.
In the past decade Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, C. karstii, and Alternaria alternata represent emerging fungal pathogens on citrus in the Mediterranean basin. Selection of tolerant Citrus germplasm offers evaluable long-term solution and should be considered as promising alternative to limit synthetic fungicide application to manage Alternaria and Colletotrichum infections in Citrus groves. In this study, the high variability of pre-harvest disease symptoms among 37 Citrus accessions was investigated in Italy in the most representative Sicilian production districts covering 1500 ha and including 20 homogeneous areas over an eleven-year survey period (2010-2020). Early fruit drop, brown spot, and anthracnose on fruit and leaves, pre-harvest fruit drop, and twig blight and defoliation associated to Alternaria and Colletotrichum spp. were identified on oranges, mandarins, and lemons. Comprehensively, first extensive data obtained herein on field susceptibility within Tarocco blood orange group to above disease symptoms clearly indicate as Tarocco Nucellare 57-1E-1, Tarocco Tapi, Tarocco Sant'Alfio, and Tarocco Catania accessions should be preferred to remaining Tarocco ones. A broad degree of tolerance or susceptibility was also observed within other Citrus group as it happens for tolerant lemon Femminello Zagara Bianca, thus demonstrating a putative resource for further studies to employ in a breeding program for genetic improvement of Citrus.
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