Maria Lodovica Gullino

• University of Turin

In recent years, Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae, has become the most important lettuce disease throughout the world. Since the pathogen is seed-transmitted, the disease spreads through infected seeds, favoured by the global commerce. We describe the biology and epidemiology of the pathogen, as well as the differentiatio...

The evolution of the global scenario, which involves such converging crises as the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, and the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine wars, has underscored the fragility of the current food systems and the interdependence of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Plant health is an importan...

Climate change is having a significant impact on global agriculture, and in particular on vegetable crops, which play a critical role in global nutrition. Recently, increasing research has concentrated on the impact of climate change on vegetable crop diseases, with several studies being conducted in phytotrons, which have been used to explore effe...

Italy is the second largest hazelnut producer worldwide and Piedmont is one of the most productive regions in the country. The changing climatic condition and fungal trunk diseases (FTD) can have a severe impact on this crop. Particularly, the considerable spread of Cytospora cankers (‘Mal dello stacco’) and dieback represent a serious concern for...

Monilinia spp. cause brown rot and blossom blight of stone fruit. This study characterized the diversity of Monilinia spp. associated with stone fruit rots in the Cuneo province, the major fruit production area in Piedmont, and assessed their sensitivity to azoxystrobin, cyprodinil, fenhexamid, fludioxonil and tebuconazole. Species diversity was de...

This study involves simulating climate changes under phytotron conditions, providing novel insights into the combined impact of elevated temperature (20–24 °C, 24–28 °C, 28–32 °C) and CO2 levels (800–850 ppm) compared to standard CO2 concentrations on calcium oxide, potassium phosphite, Streptomyces griseoviridis, Trichoderma asperellum and Beauver...

Severe dieback symptoms were recently observed on apple (Malus × domestica) trees in Northern Italy, representing a growing concern for producers. Surveys were conducted over a 3-year period (2019-2021) and five apple orchards, from 5- to 12-years-old, were monitored. A total of 33 fungal isolates isolated from symptomatic plant was selected for ch...

Grapevine Trunk Diseases (GTDs) are major threats in Mediterranean countries, causing economic losses due to reduced grape yields and long-term vine productivity, as well as death of grapevines. A survey was conducted in Piedmont (Northern Italy) during 2021-2022 to investigate the species diversity and distribution of GTD pathogens in this importa...

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is widely cultivated in Italy. During May-June 2022, mild symptoms of an unknown leaf spot disease appeared on 5-10% of June-bearing strawberry (cv. Elodì) plants transplanted in July 2021 in a commercial farm located in the province of Cuneo, North Italy. During September-November 2022, the symptoms appeared...

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae (Fol) is the causal agent of Fusarium wilt of lettuce, one of the most troublesome diseases affecting lettuce worldwide. Chemical control strategies are inadequate due to limited fungicide availability and consumer interest in organic vegetable production. Alternative control strategies, such as biological control...

Curvularia americana and C. tropicalis are described as causes of leaf and crown necroses on Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon x Cynodon transvaalensis) in Veneto, Northern Italy. These pathogens were characterized using morphological characters, and a multilocus molecular phylogenetic analysis based on the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spac...

Climate change already challenges people's livelihood globally and it also affects plant health. Rising temperatures facilitate the introduction and establishment of unwanted organisms, including arthropods, pathogens, and weeds (hereafter collectively called pests). For example, a single, unusually warm winter under temperate climatic conditions m...

Vaccinium corymbosum L. is a woody deciduous shrub belonging to the Ericaceae family. During the last decade, Northern Italy has become a major area for blueberry cultivation and production in Europe, supplying other countries with high quality fruit (FAOSTAT 2020). In June 2020, plant stem and branch wilting with brownish necrotic internal lesions...

Common millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a niche crop cultivated in Italy for its high nutritional and gluten-free characteristics. These aspects combined with its sustainability and adaptability to paddy soils make it relevant in crop rotation with rice in some organic farms in Northwestern Italy. In September 2021, in a farm producing organic rice...

Colletotrichum ocimi causes black spot of basil (Ocimum basilicum) and is a serious threat to basil cultivation as it compromises leaf production. The pathogen also infects seeds, which could become primary sources of inoculum for spread of black spot. A SYBR Green real-time PCR assay was developed to detect Colletotrichum oci- mi in basil leaves a...

In this study Stagonosporopsis vannaccii, causing leaf lesions and spots on basil (Ocimum basilicum) in Piedmont, Northern Italy, is described. This pathogen was characterised using a polyphasic approach including morphological characters and a multilocus molecular phylogenetic analysis based on the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (IT...

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae (FOL), the causal agent of Fusarium wilt of lettuce, is a seedborne and soilborne pathogen that causes severe losses everywhere lettuce is cultivated. Genetic resistance is potentially the most effective strategy to control the pathogen, but susceptibility evaluation of breeding material with conventional methods...

Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) represents a relevant crop which production has largely increased worldwide during the last decade. Cane blight is one of the most common diseases of red raspberry and it can produce considerable losses. During 2019-2021, surveys were conducted in red raspberry orchards in Cuneo province, Northern Italy, to investiga...

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a cereal crop of great economic importance in Italy; production is currently of 60,602,320 t, covering 588,597 ha (ISTAT 2021). Trichoderma species are widespread filamentous fungi in soil, well known and studied as biological control agents (Vinale et al., 2008). Seeds of a yellow grain hybrid (class FAO 700, 132 days) were...

Highbush blueberry is an increasingly important crop due to its economic value and demonstrated health benefits of blueberries. Leaf spots are considered as minor diseases of blueberry plants, but they adversely affect blueberry productivity , causing reduced photosynthetic activity, flower bud formation and berry production. Surveys of blueberry c...

This Feature Article tracks 100 years of soil disinfestation: from the goal of eradicating soilborne pathogens and pests to much milder approaches, aimed at establishing a healthier soil, by favoring or enhancing the beneficial soil microflora and introducing biological control agents. The restrictions on use of many chemical fumigants is favoring...

Healthy soils are fundamental to sustainable crop production and to sustainable disease management of soilborne pathogens. Among the most common soilborne diseases, there are Fusarium wilts, caused by Fusarium oxysporum. Fusarium spp. is a trans-kingdom pathogen that includes plant pathogens, human pathogens, and saprotrophic isolates. F. oxysporum...

Plants are frequently exposed to prolonged and intense drought events. To survive, species must implement strategies to overcome progressive drought while maintaining sufficient resources to sustain the recovery of functions. Our objective was to understand how stress rate development modulates energy reserves and affects the recovery process. Gren...

Fusarium fujikuroi, causing bakanae disease, is one of the most important seedborne pathogens of rice, the detection of which is paramount for seed certification and for preventing field infections. Molecular tests—qPCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)—are replacing the blotter test in seed health procedures, due to higher sensitiv...

Bakanae, one of the most important diseases of rice, is caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium fujikuroi. The elongation of internodes is the most common symptom induced by the pathogen, and it is related to the production of gibberellins. Despite this, the pathogenicity mechanism of F. fujikuroi is still not completely clear, and there are some st...

Seed health is one of the quality characteristics that must be assessed during the seed certification process. In this study, the freezing blotter method was used to detect fungi present in a total of 102 and 75 maize seed lots produced in 2019 and 2020 respectively, by eight companies in different geographic areas. The analysis of the seed samples...

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a cereal crop of great economic importance in Italy; production is currently of 62,587,469 t, with an area that covers 628,801 ha, concentrated in northern Italy (ISTAT 2020). Fusarium species are associated with root and crown rot causing failures in crop establishment under high soil moisture. In 2019 maize seedlings collec...

Brown rot is a common apple disease in Italy, caused by Monilinia fructicola, M. laxa and M. fructigena (Martini et al. 2013). In September 2020, in a ‘Jeromine’ apple orchard under integrated pest management located in Scarnafigi (44°39'N, 7°33'E, north-western of Italy), fruits (8.6%) showing brown to blackish firm lesions (6.0 to 8.0 cm diameter...

The official version of this FAO IPPC Secretariat (2021) scientific report is written in English. However, the report is also available in other UN-languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish (see above DOI link that directs you to the FAO homepage). x x x x x Abstract: Climate change continues to present challenges to life...

The Summary for Policymakers presents key findings of the scientific review, based on an assessment of available scientific literature relevant to evaluating the impact of climate change on plant pests and thus on plant health. It includes key messages of the main results and recommendations. The Summary for Policymakers highlights selected pests t...

Global food security depends to a substantial degree on the rice crop. Rice production is threatened by many pathogens, requiring a range of prevention and control strategies. These need to be integrated with efficient monitoring and detection. This chapter focuses on diagnostic tools developed for three of the most important rice pathogens: Pyricu...

Twelve trials, in closed soilless culture under controlled conditions, were carried out to evaluate the efficacy of resistance inducers (based on K-phosphite and K-silicate used alone or in combination), and of experimental biocontrol agents (Trichoderma sp. TW2, a mixture of Pseudomonas FC 7B, FC 8B, and FC 9B, Fusarium solani FUS25, Pseudomonas s...

This study represents the first survey studying the occurrence, genetic diversity, and pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriaceae species associated with symptomatic citrus species in citrus-production areas in five European countries. Based on morphological features and phylogenetic analyses of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (...

This study was aimed at identifying Alternaria species associated with heart rot disease of pomegranate fruit in southern Italy and characterizing their mycotoxigenic profile. A total of 42 Alternaria isolates were characterized. They were obtained from pomegranate fruits with symptoms of heart rot sampled in Apulia and Sicily and grouped into six...

Bakanae disease, caused by Fusarium fujikuroi, was investigated under different CO2 and temperature environments in order to simulate climate changes in the F. fujikuroi/rice pathosystem. F. fujikuroi infected plants were grown under six phytotron conditions: 1) 18‐22 °C (night/day) + 450 ppm CO2 (low temperatures and ambient CO2), 2) 18‐22 °C (nig...

A significant part of the microbiota of nuts is represented by Aspergillus spp., whereas A. flavus and A. parasiticus are the main aflatoxigenic species of Aspergillus section Flavi. Nut production can be contaminated by mould development and by the mycotoxins. Some mycotoxins, such as aflatoxins, are regulated at European level and in most extra-E...

The airborne mycobiota has been understudied in comparison with the mycobiota present in other agricultural environments. Traditional, culture-based methods allow the study of a small fraction of the organisms present in the atmosphere, thus missing important information. In this study, the aerial mycobiota in a rice paddy has been examined during...

Grapevine may be affected simultaneously by several pathogens whose complex interplay is largely unknown. We studied the effects of infection by two grapevine viruses on powdery mildew and downy mildew development and the molecular modifications induced in grapevines by their multiple interactions. Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) and grapevine rupes...

Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus are two species able to produce aflatoxins in foodstuffs, and in particular in hazelnuts, at harvest and during postharvest phase. As not all the strains of these species are aflatoxin producers, it is necessary to develop techniques that can detect aflatoxigenic from not aflatoxigenic strains. Two assays, a LA...

Bedding plants are a major group of ornamentals produced in greenhouses or nurseries worldwide and planted outdoors. Their economic importance has increased continuously in the last four decades in both the United States and the European Union. These plants are subject to many diseases that can negatively impact their production and cultivation. Th...

Species of Colletotrichum are considered among the most important plant pathogens, saprobes and endophytes on a wide range of ornamentals, fruits and vegetables. Several Colletotrichum species have been reported in nurseries and public or private gardens in northern Italy. In this study, the occurrence, diversity and pathogenicity of Colletotrichum...

Four different biocontrol agents (BCAs) and two composts have been used in this study to evaluate their efficiency against the Phytophthora blight of zucchini caused by Phytophthora capsici. The effects of the BCAs and composts on the microbiota of the zucchini rhizosphere were examined at the end of experimental trials conducted in 2016 and 2017 o...

Molecular changes associated with response to powdery mildew (PM) caused by Erysiphe necator have been largely explored in Vitis vinifera cultivars, but little is known on transcriptional and metabolic modifications following application of resistance elicitors against this disease. In this study, the whole transcriptome sequencing, and hormone and...

Fusarium equiseti, a member of the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), has recently been reported in Italy as the causal agent of a leaf spot diseases on previously unrecorded plant hosts. This emerging disease has affected leafy vegetable hosts including lettuce, lamb's lettuce, wild rocket, cultivated rocket, spinach and radish,...

Branch cankers is one of the most important threats to avocado production. During the late summer of 2016, sampling was conducted in the main avocado growing area in Chania Province, Crete, Greece, to study the occurrence of branch cankers and identify the causal agents. Four fungal isolates were identified using a polyphasic approach including mor...

Phytophthora capsici Leonian (PHC) is a filamentous pathogen oomycete that causes root, fruit, foliar and crown rot over a wide host range, including the economically and nutritionally important summer squash (Cucurbita pepo var. cylindrica L.) crop. PHC chemical control strategies are difficult to adopt, due to the limited number of registered che...

Viticulture is a cropping system in which treatment against fungal diseases (in particular powdery and downy mildews) can be extremely frequent. Accordingly, a reduction in antimicrobial treatments and the application of environmentally-friendly compounds are becoming increasingly important for a more sustainable viticulture. In addition to their e...

Black spot is a major foliar disease of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) present in a typical cultivation area of northern Italy, including the Liguria and southern Piedmont regions, where this aromatic herb is an economically important crop. In this study, 15 Colletotrichum isolates obtained from sweet basil plants with symptoms of black spot sample...

A TaqMan quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay based on the translation elongation factor 1-α gene was developed for the quantification of Venturia inaequalis in leaves and fruits of Malus × domestica and in spore trap samples. The designed primers and hydrolysis probe amplified a specific 86-bp fragment for V. inaequalis. The specificity of the assay was...

Penicillium spp. are emerging as producers of mycotoxins and other toxic metabolites in nuts. A HPLC-MS/MS method was developed to detect 19 metabolites produced by Penicillium spp. on chestnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds. Two extraction methods were developed, one for chestnuts and one for the other three nuts. The recovery, LOD, LOQ and matr...

The impact of combined environmental factors, such as temperature and CO2, on the control of the powdery mildew of zucchini, caused by Podosphaera xanthii, and of different control measures has been studied on plants grown in phytotrons. Five experimental trials were conducted, and the powdery mildew severity of both treated and untreated zucchini...

Venturia inaequalis, an agent of apple scab, is the most important pathogen of Malus x domestica. Control measures against this pathogen rely on intensive phytosanitary programs based on predictive models to identify the meteorological conditions conducive to the primary infection. The detection of the pathogen in field, both in naturally infected...

The downy mildew of basil, which is caused by Peronospora belbahrii, is one of the most devastating basil diseases throughout the world, and management programmes with a limited use of fungicides are necessary to control it. In order to develop efficient integrated disease management programmes, the efficacy of alternative products (calcium oxide,...

The regulation for the registration and use of pesticides, also including natural products, currently in place in the different countries, although not completely normalized, has become very stringent in all industrialized countries, leading to a strong reduction in the number of active ingredients available on the market and to a severe reorganiza...

Greenhouses are intensive cropping systems where microclimatic conditions are particularly favourable for the development of different fungal diseases (fungal-like organisms and true fungi) and if no proper control measures are taken in time, losses may be high. The principal fungal diseases are presented, as well as examples of emerging or re-emer...

The greenhouse environment can be very conducive for the establishment and spread of diseases introduced with planting material. Both seeds and vegetative planting material can be infected or contaminated by damaging pathogens, which often can be transmitted to the growing plant or become established in the greenhouse environment. Transmission from...

Aspergillus flavus may colonize hazelnuts and produce aflatoxins in the field and during storage. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of drying temperature and exposure times on the viability of A. flavus and its ability to produce aflatoxins during the drying process and storage. Hazelnuts were inoculated with A. flavus...

Effects of anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) on Rhizoctonia solani basal rot of lettuce were assessed considering: two soil types; different C-sources; different temperature regimes; two treatment durations; and two lettuce crop cycles, in the presence of a high disease incidence from artificial infestation with the pathogen. C-source, temperatur...

Serious outbreaks of Alternaria leaf spot and plant decay have recently been recorded on several ornamental plants in the Biella Province (Northern Italy). Twenty-two fungal isolates were obtained from Alternaria infected plant tissues from 13 ornamental hosts. All the isolates were identified morphologically as small-spored Alternaria species. Mul...

Among the many responsibilities of the worldwide scientific community are advancing the knowledge base that underpins each scientific discipline, addressing the pressing scientific issues of the day (e.g., emerging infectious diseases, food security, and climate change), and perhaps most importantly, educating and training subsequent generations of...