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POSTERS: Late Breaking II

P-626 - Identification and pathogenicity of Truncatella angustata causing canker and dieback in European hazelnut in the Maule region, Chile

Tuesday, August 5, 2025
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM HST
Location: Exhibit Hall 3
Abstract Text:

In Chile, the European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is grown commercially on 49,000 ha, with 22,000 ha located in the Central Maule Region (35°26′S, 71°40′W) where plants are cultivated under Mediterranean-like conditions. Canker and dieback disease caused by Botryosphaeriaceae and Diaporthaceae is a menace to European hazelnut trees in Chile, with incidence levels reported between 15 and 36%. Recently, in a commercial hazelnut orchard in the Maule Region containing nine-year-old cv. Tonda Di Giffoni plants, symptoms of canker and dieback were observed (5 to 10% incidence). These symptoms included a general decline, canker and twig death, and branch dieback. Cross-sections of diseased twigs and branches revealed firm, necrotic lesions. Diseased branches were disinfected and flamed, and internal tissue was placed onto PDA containing 0.1% Igepal and antibiotics. Six isolates were obtained after 7 days at 20 °C. Based on colony characteristics, conidia morphology, and molecular analysis using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) region and partial beta-tubulin (βtub) genes, the six isolates were identified as Truncatella angustata (Persoon). Four isolates used for pathogenicity testing caused cankers and necrotic lesions on detached dormant twigs (greenhouse, two months) and attached lignified twigs (field, four months) on hazelnut cv. Tonda Di Giffoni. The fungi were consistently reisolated from inoculated twigs, confirming Koch’s postulates. Therefore, this work is the first description of T. angustata associated with canker and dieback of hazelnut in Chile