Phytophthora citricola as the causal agent of persimmon root rot in Fars province of Iran

Phytophthora species are a serious threat to plant products worldwide. Therefore, identifying them is the first step in finding a way to treat the disease. The aim of this study was to identify Phytophthora species causing root and crown rot of persimmon trees in Fars province.

Samples were taken from the crowns and roots of diseased persimmon trees, in the summer of 2018-2019. Infected root and crown tissues were cultured in CMA-PARPH medium. Isolates of Phytophthora species were purified by single spore method and morphological and molecular characteristics were used to identify them.

Six isolates were obtained from the roots of diseased persimmon trees and identified as Phytophthora citricola based on their morphological characteristics. Phylogenetic studies based on beta-tubulin (βtub) and 28S rDNA genes showed that all isolates (Iran-Pc1 to Iran-Pc6) were grouped into clade 2 with a validation scale of 100 and confirmed the identification of P .citricola.

This is a new report of persimmon root and crown rot caused by Phytophthora citricola in Fars Province.