Monilinia species of fruit decay: a comparison between biological and epidemiological data

Abstract

The fungal genus Monilinia Honey includes parasitic species of Rosaceae and Ericaceae. The Monilinia genus shows a great heterogeneity, it is divided in two sections: Junctoriae and Disjunctoriae. These sections were defined by Batra (1991) on the basis of morphology, infection biology, and host specialization. Junctoriae spp. produce mitospore chains without disjunctors, they are parasites of Rosaceae spp.; M. laxa, M. fructicola, M. fructigena and recently M. polystroma, represent the principal species of the section, and they are responsible of economically important diseases of Rosaceae, new species such as M. yunnanensis, and M. mumecola could afflict European fruits in the future in absence of a strict phytosanitary control. The Disjunctoriae section includes species that produce mitospores intercalated by appendages (disjunctors); they parasitize Rosaceae, Ericaceae, and Empetraceae. The principal Disjunctoriae species are M. vaccinii-corymbosi, M. urnula, M. baccarum, M. oxycocci, and M. linhartiana. This study has the aim to underline the importance of Monilinia spp., and to describe their features.