ISSN 0031 - 9465 PHYTOPATHOLOGIA MEDITERRANEA PHYTOPATHOLOGIA PHYTOPATHOLOGIA MEDITERRANEAVolume 58 • No. 3 • December 2019 Plant health and food safety Iscritto al Tribunale di Firenze con il n° 4923del 5-1-2000 - Poste Italiane Spa Spedizione in Abbonamento Postale 70% DCB FIRENZE di Firenze Iscritto al Tribunale FIRENZE The international journal of the UNIVERSITY Mediterranean Phytopathological Union PRESS PHYTOPATHOLOGIA MEDITERRANEA Plant health and food safety The international journal edited by the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union founded by A. Ciccarone and G. Goidànich Phytopathologia Mediterranea is an international journal edited by the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union The journal’s mission is the promotion of plant health for Mediterranean crops, climate and regions, safe food production, and the transfer of knowledge on diseases and their sustainable management. The journal deals with all areas of plant pathology, including epidemiology, disease control, biochemical and physiological aspects, and utilization of molecular technologies. All types of plant pathogens are covered, including fungi, nematodes, protozoa, bacteria, phytoplasmas, viruses, and viroids. Papers on mycotoxins, biological and integrated management of plant diseases, and the use of natural substances in disease and weed control are also strongly encouraged. The journal focuses on pathology of Mediterranean crops grown throughout the world. The journal includes three issues each year, publishing Reviews, Original research papers, Short notes, New or unusual disease reports, News and opinion, Current topics, Commentaries, and Letters to the Editor. EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Laura Mugnai – University of Florence, DAGRI, Plant pathology and Richard Falloon – New Zealand Institute for Plant & Entomology section, P.le delle Cascine 28, 50144 Firenze, Italy Food Research, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch 8108, New Phone: +39 055 2755861 Zealand E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +64 3 3259499; Fax: +64 3 3253864 E-mail: [email protected] CONSULTING EDITORS A. Phillips, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal G. Surico, DAGRI, University of Florence, Italy EDITORIAL BOARD I.M. de O. Abrantes, Universidad de Coimbra, M. Garbelotto, University of California, Berke- E. Paplomatas, Agricultural University of Ath- Portugal ley, CA, USA ens, Greece J. Armengol, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, L. Ghelardini, University of Florence, Italy I. Pertot, University of Trento, Italy Spain V. Guarnaccia, University of Stellenbosh, South A. Picot, Univerisité de Bretagne Occidental, S. Banniza, University of Saskatchewan, Canada Africa LUBEM, Plouzané, France R. Batler, Plant & Food Research, Christchurch, N. Iacobellis, University of Basilicata, Potenza, D. Rubiales, Institute for Sustainable Agricul- NZ Italy ture, CSIC, Cordoba, Spain A. Bertaccini, Alma Mater Studiorum, Univer- H. Kassemeyer, Staatliches Weinbauinstitut, J-M. Savoie, INRA, Villenave d’Ornon, France sity of Bologna, Italy Freiburg, Germany A. Tekauz, Cereal Research Centre, Winnipeg, A.G. Blouin, Plant & Food Research, Auckland, P. Kinay Teksür, Ege University, Bornova Izmir, MB, Canada New Zealand Turkey D. Tsitsigiannis, Agricultural University of Ath- R. Buonaurio, University of Perugia, Italy A. Moretti, National Research Council (CNR), ens, Greece N. Buzkan, Imam University, Turkey Bari, Italy J.N. Vanneste, Plant & Food Research, Sandring- T. Caffi, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, L. Mostert, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosh, ham, New Zealand Piacenza, Italy South Africa M. Vurro, National Research Council (CNR), J. Davidson, South Australian Research and De- J. Murillo, Universidad Publica de Navarra, Spain Bari, Italy velopment Institute (SARDI), Adelaide, Australia J.A. Navas-Cortes, CSIC, Cordoba, Spain M.J. Wingfield, University of Pretoria, South Africa A.M. D’Onghia, CIHEAM/Mediterranean Ag- P. Nicot, INRA, Avignon, France R. Zare, Iranian Research Institute of Plant Pro- ronomic Institute of Bari, Italy L. Palou, Centre de Tecnologia Postcollita, Valen- tection, Tehran, Iran T.A. Evans, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA cia, Spain DIRETTORE RESPONSABILE Giuseppe Surico, DAGRI, University of Florence, Italy E-mail: [email protected] EDITORIAL OFFICE STAFF DAGRI, Plant pathology and Entomology section, University of Florence, Italy E-mail: [email protected], Phone: ++39 055 2755861/862 EDITORIAL ASSISTANT - Sonia Fantoni EDITORIAL OFFICE STAFF - Angela Gaglier Phytopathologia Mediterranea on-line: www.fupress.com/pm/ PHYTOPATHOLOGIA MEDITERRANEA The international journal of the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union Volume 58, December, 2019 Firenze University Press Phytopathologia Mediterranea. The international journal of the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union Published by Firenze University Press – University of Florence, Italy Via Cittadella, 7 - 50144 Florence - Italy http://www.fupress.com/pm Direttore Responsabile: Giuseppe Surico, University of Florence, Italy Copyright © 2019 Authors. The authors retain all rights to the original work without any restrictions. Open Access. This issue is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY-4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropri- ate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication (CC0 1.0) waiver applies to the data made available in this issue, unless otherwise stated. Phytopathologia Mediterranea Firenze University Press The international journal of the www.fupress.com/pm Mediterranean Phytopathological Union Review Emerging and re-emerging fungus and oomycete soil-borne plant diseases in Italy Citation: S.O. Cacciola, M.L. Gullino (2019) Emerging and re-emerging fun- gus and oomycete soil-borne plant dis- eases in Italy. Phytopathologia Mediter- Santa Olga CACCIOLA1,*, Maria Lodovica GULLINO2 ranea 58(3): 451-472. doi: 10.14601/ 1 Phyto-10756 Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, V. S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, Italy Accepted: November 02, 2019 2 Centre for Innovation in the Agro-Environmental Sector, AGROINNOVA, University of Torino, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy Published: December 30, 2019 *Corresponding author: [email protected] Copyright: © 2019 S.O. Cacciola, M.L. Gullino. This is an open access, Summary. A disease is recognized as emerging if it is new, it occurs in a new host, peer-reviewed article published by Firenze University Press (http://www. there is an unexpected outbreak, its economic importance increases, if it attracts pub- fupress.com/pm) and distributed lic opinion and the scientific community regardless of economic importance, or if it under the terms of the Creative Com- appears in an area for the first time (referred to as geographic emergence). This review mons Attribution License, which per- deals with major driving factors of the emergence of plant diseases caused by soil- mits unrestricted use, distribution, and borne fungi and oomycetes (here indicated as “fungi”), in Italy during recent years. reproduction in any medium, provided These factors include: accidental introduction of alien pathogens by human activities; the original author and source are effect of climate change; unusually severe weather events; favourable environmental credited. and ecological conditions; pathogen genetic variation; host shifts and expansion of host Data Availability Statement: All rel- ranges; introduction or expansion of the geographic range of a susceptible plant spe- evant data are within the paper and its cies or variety; limited availability of fungicides or development of fungicide-resistance Supporting Information files. pathogen strains; changes of cropping systems; and/or increased pathogen in soil as a consequence of intensive monoculture of crops. Although in most cases more than a Competing Interests: The Author(s) single driving factor contributes to the emergence of an infectious disease, there are declare(s) no conflict of interest. examples where a determinant may prevail over others. The case studies reviewed Editor: Josep Armengol. include pathogens belonging to major genera of soil-inhabiting fungi and oomycetes, including Armillaria, Calonectria, Coniella, Fusarium sensu lato, Ilyonectria, Mono- sporoascus, Plectosphaerella, Rhizoctonia, Rosellinia, Sclerotinia, Sclerotium, Verticillium, Pythium and Phytophthora. The examples encompass natural and forest ecosystems, economically important agricultural crops including citrus, fruit trees, olive, legumes, vegetables, and ornamentals, as well as exotic or expanding minor crops, such as avo- cado, goji berry, and pomegranate. Whatever the prevailing driving factor(s) these case studies all show that the large-scale emergence of soil-borne fungal diseases of plants is the consequence of human activities. Keywords. Exotic pathogens, endemic pathogens, agricultural crops, minor crops, for- est ecosystems. INTRODUCTION There are different definitions of the term soil-borne when referring to plant pathogens. According to Koike et al. (2003), this includes pathogens that infect the plant through the soil while Katan (2017) broadened the con- Phytopathologia Mediterranea 58(3): 451-472, 2019 ISSN 0031-9465 (print) | ISSN 1593-2095 (online) | DOI: 10.14601/Phyto-10756 452 Santa Olga Cacciola,