Occurrence of Phytophthora Root and Stem Rot of Kiwifruit in Turkey

Vine decline of kiwifruit was observed in an orchard in Bartn province of Turkey. Affected vines exhibited poor terminal growth, leaf discoloration and various degrees of dieback, including complete vine death. Symptoms were observed in the field on roots, crowns and stems. Two Phytophthora species were isolated from decayed cortical roots and lower stems of kiwifruits. They were identified as Phytophthora cryptogea and Phytophthora megasperma by their morphological characteristics and the analysis of sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rDNA. Pathogenicity of the isolates was tested by stem inoculation on kiwifruit seedlings. After 4weeks, cankers developed in the plants inoculated with P.cryptogea, while no cankers formed in those inoculated with P.megasperma and in control plants. This is the first report of P.cryptogea causing root and stem rot of kiwifruit in Turkey.