New Reports of Phytophthora Species in Plant Nurseries in Spain

The plant nursery industry has become an ideal reservoir for Phytophthora species and other soilborne pathogens. In this context, isolation from tissues and soil of ornamental and forest plants from nurseries in four regions of Spain was carried out. A high diversity of Phytophthora species was confirmed. Fourteen Phytophthora phylotypes (P. cactorum, P. cambivora, P. cinnamomi, P. citrophthora, P. crassamura, P. gonapodyides, P. hedraiandra, P. nicotianae, P. niederhauserii, P. palmivora, P. plurivora, P. pseudocryptogea, P. sansomeana, and Phytophthora sp. tropicalis-like 2) were isolated from over 500 plant samples of 22 species in 19 plant genera. Nine species were detected in water sources, two of them (P. bilorbang and P. lacustris) exclusively from water samples. P. crassamura was detected for the first time in Spain. This is the first time P. pseudocryptogea is isolated from Chamaecyparis lawsoniana and Yucca rostrata in Spain.

Automated summary

The plant nursery industry has become an ideal reservoir for Phytophthora species and other soilborne pathogens, and a high diversity of Phytophthora species was confirmed in nurseries in Spain. Fourteen Phytophthora phylotypes were isolated from over 500 plant samples of various species, and nine species were detected in water sources.