Diplodia africana causing dieback disease on Juniperus phoenicea: a new host and first report in the northern hemisphere

Abstract

Branch dieback was observed on Phoenicean juniper trees, in a natural growing area on Caprera Island (Italy), during 2009 and 2010. Fungal isolates obtained from symptomatic twigs and branches show­ing dieback and bark necrosis were identified as Diplodia africana by analysis of morphological features and genomic DNA sequences of the ITS region and translation elongation factor 1-α gene. Pathogenicity was verified by stem inoculation of 3-year-old saplings of Phoenicean juniper. This is the first report of D. africana in the northern hemisphere, and of this fungus as a pathogen of Phoenicean juniper