Fungi Associated with Olive Tree (cv. ‘Nocellara del Belice’) Decay in Trapani Province (Sicily, Italy)

Recently, in several locations in the province of Trapani (Sicily, Italy), olive growers have reported cases of decaying olive trees of cv. 'Nocellara del Belice', showing symptoms of defoliation, branch drying, xylem browning, and reduced production. Internal symptoms include white and brown wood rot, starting from the base of the trunk. These alterations have been observed in trees irrigated using a pipe system at the trunk with spray sprinklers. To identify the causal agents of decay, some trees were eradicated and dissected, and woody samples were processed to isolate and identify the associated fungal micro-organisms. The most common colonies were identified using morphological (macro- and microscopical observation) and molecular (PCR amplification of the rDNA-ITS region) analyses. Nine fungal taxa were identified, of which four were associated with this decay syndrome (<i>Coriolopsis gallica</i>, <i>Fomitiporia mediterranea</i>, <i>Kirschsteiniothelia</i> sp., and <i>Pleurostoma richardsiae</i>), three were considered ubiquitous and opportunistic fungi (<i>Alternaria</i> spp., <i>Aspergillus amstelodami</i>, and <i>Trichoderma</i> sp.), and the other two were <i>mycelia sterilia</i>. Artificial inoculation satisfied Koch's postulates, confirming the pathogenicity of the aforementioned fungi, even though the infections in the fields seem to be related to the irrigation system. This hypothesis would seem to be confirmed by the progression of decay over time in the trees subjected to the irrigation system described but not reported in olive groves differently managed. It is therefore considered appropriate to conduct further and more in-depth investigations aimed at studying the correlation between the irrigation system, presence of fungal agents, and manifestation of the syndrome. A further ongoing investigation is aimed at the use of biostimulants (Agrusaver, Savory Sun, VA LLC) on symptomatic trees, with the aim of both improving the vegetative performance of the host and limiting the symptoms detected in the field.