Journal of Plant Pathology (2003) 85, p. 319 (Balestra et al.)

G.M. Balestra, C. Pucci, B. Paparatti, D. Bucini, J.L. Vanneste, D. Cornish and L. Varvaro (2003)
Relationship among dieback of hazelnut in the province of Viterbo, the insect Anisandrus dispar F. and bacterial populations
Journal of Plant Pathology 85 (4), 319-319
X Meeting, Italian Society for Plant Pathology (poster)
Abstract: Insects have always been suspected to be involved in the spreading of dieback of hazelnut in the province of Viterbo (Italy), however their role has never been confirmed. Since 2002, the Latium region administration is funding a project on different aspects related to the dieback of hazelnut in the province of Viterbo and relationship with the populations of the insect Anisandrus dispar F. During 2003, 4123 females of A. dispar were caught from two areas with diseased hazelnuts using the chemochromotropic traps "Rebell red®". Higher catches of A. dispar females per trap were recorded during spring. Other procedures were developed to catch the Scolitidae A. dispar from diseased hazelnut trees, and to isolate and identify the bacterial populations present on and inside the insects. These were washed or homogenized to isolate bacteria present either on their outside or inside. Identification of the bacterial isolates was carried out by morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular techniques. So far the main bacterial populations identified belong to Erwinia spp. and Pseudomonas spp.. Analysis of the DNA sequence of the 16S rDNA gene indicate that the bacteria are most probably Erwinia billingae, Erwinia quercina and Pseudomonas syringae of an undetermined pathovar. The phytopathological and epidemiological implications of these results are discussed.
(original language: English)
Database assignments for author(s): Giorgio Mariano Balestra, Joel L. Vanneste, Leonardo Varvaro

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
transmission/dispersal of plant diseases

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Anisandrus dispar	Hazelnut (Corylus)	Italy
	Lonsdalea quercina		Italy
	Erwinia billingiae		Italy