Georgia blueberry <i>Neopestalotiopsis</i> isolates, which are phylogenetically indistinguishable from the emerging novel strawberry <i>Neopestalotiopsis</i> sp., are pathogenic to both blueberry and strawberry

A novel <i>Neopestalotiopsis</i> sp. causing an emerging crown, leaf, and fruit disease on strawberry has been associated with significant losses in recent years in the Eastern U.S and Canada. Particularly aggressive on strawberry relative to other <i>Neopestalotiopsis</i> spp., isolates of this novel species are morphologically similar to the relatively less aggressive species <i>Neopestalotiopsis rosae</i> and have been genetically differentiated from <i>N. rosae</i> based on multilocus sequence analysis as well as restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) within the fungal beta-tubulin gene. Here, from blueberry fruit collected from commercial blueberry production sites in southern Georgia (U.S.A.), we report the isolation, identification, and characterization of <i>Neopestalotiopsis</i> isolates which are phylogenetically indistinguishable from the novel <i>Neopestalotiopsis</i> sp. from strawberry. Isolates collected from blueberry across multiple growing seasons were identified as belonging to the novel <i>Neopestalotiopsis</i> sp. based on RFLP and multilocus sequence analysis. Moreover, these isolates were found to be capable of causing disease on both blueberry and strawberry plants in greenhouse experiments. These findings expand our understanding of this novel <i>Neopestalotiopsis</i> sp. and have implications for the diagnosis and management of <i>Neopestalotiopsis</i> diseases on small fruit crops.