New record of boxwood volutella blight fungal agents in Iran

During the study on boxwood blight from 2016 to 2017, some isolates of Pseudonectria were isolated from boxwood leaves and branches. Fungi were isolated and purified using conventional methods. According to the morphological characteristics and ITS rDNA sequences, two species of Pseudonectria viz. P. buxi and P. foliicola were identified. Moreover, the pathogenicity of these two species under laboratory and greenhouse conditions was examined. None of the species were able to produce disease on the healthy plant leaves, and leaf wounds were necessary to establish the infection. According to our knowledge, this is the first report of Pseudonectria species on boxwood from Iran.