Biology and pathogenicity of fungi causing husk rot of macadamia in South Africa

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dc.contributor.author Twiddy, Dee Ingrid
dc.contributor.author Fouché, Arista
dc.contributor.author Akinsanmi, Olufemi A.
dc.contributor.author Fourie, Gerda
dc.date.accessioned 2024-10-22T10:01:52Z
dc.date.available 2024-10-22T10:01:52Z
dc.date.issued 2024-07
dc.description.abstract Fungal diseases of macadamia fruit in South Africa have the potential to cause notable economic damage in this rapidly growing industry. To improve our understanding of the species involved in husk rot in macadamia orchards, a survey was conducted over two consecutive growing seasons to identify Colletotrichum, Diaporthe and Calonectria spp. that are associated with husk rot-infected macadamia fruits, and to investigate the occurrence of these fungi in asymptomatic and symptomatic fruits at the four stages of fruit development. Of the 425 fungal isolates obtained from the survey, Colletotrichum and Diaporthe were the most frequently isolated genera confirming the important role that these causal agents play in the husk rot epidemics. The detection of Calonectria species was low, only from symptomatic fruits and limited to a few locations in the main macadamia-producing provinces in South Africa. Colletotrichum and Diaporthe species were detected throughout the season at different stages of fruit development and in both symptomatic and asymptomatic fruits. The study confirmed that three fungal pathogens cause husk rot of macadamia in South Africa, with Colletotrichum and Diaporthe species that may have a latent phase in macadamia fruit. Studies of the growth characteristics of the husk rot pathogens revealed varied optimal growth temperatures, which may influence their prevalence in the different provinces in South Africa where macadamia is grown. The significance of the varied prevalence and biology of the causal agents in husk rot epidemics are discussed, which may be helpful management strategies. en_US
dc.description.department Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology (BGM) en_US
dc.description.department Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) en_US
dc.description.librarian hj2024 en_US
dc.description.sdg SDG-02:Zero Hunger en_US
dc.description.sdg SDG-15:Life on land en_US
dc.description.sponsorship Macadamias South Africa NPC (SAMAC), the University of Pretoria, the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) and the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Plant Health Biotechnology. Open access funding provided by University of Pretoria. en_US
dc.description.uri https://link.springer.com/journal/10658 en_US
dc.identifier.citation Twiddy, D.I., Fouché, A., Akinsanmi, O.A. et al. Biology and pathogenicity of fungi causing husk rot of macadamia in South Africa. European Journal of Plant Pathology (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-024-02915-z. en_US
dc.identifier.issn 0929-1873 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 1573-8469 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.1007/s10658-024-02915-z.
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/98705
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Springer en_US
dc.rights © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. en_US
dc.subject Fungal diseases en_US
dc.subject Macadamia fruit en_US
dc.subject South Africa (SA) en_US
dc.subject Disease survey en_US
dc.subject Tree nut en_US
dc.subject Proteaceae en_US
dc.subject Epidemiology en_US
dc.subject Colletotrichum en_US
dc.subject Diaporthe en_US
dc.subject Calonectria leaf blight (CLB) en_US
dc.subject SDG-15: Life on land en_US
dc.subject SDG-02: Zero hunger en_US
dc.title Biology and pathogenicity of fungi causing husk rot of macadamia in South Africa en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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