Diatrypaceae associated with grapevine canker diseases in South Australia and New South Wales.

Diatrypaceae are common pyrenomycetous fungi occurringon a wide range of woody angiosperms around theworld. Eutypa lata, the causal agent of Eutypa diebackof grapevine, is the most common diatrypaceous fungusassociated with grapevine cankers and it is found in allmajor grape growing regions worldwide. Recent studiesin California have shown that additional Diatrypaceaecan infect grapevine wood and possibly cause cankerdiseases similar to Eutypa dieback. During 2007'08,a number of surveys for fungi associated with cankerdiseases in grapevine were conducted in South Australiaand New South Wales. In many instances, fungalcolonies displaying morphological characteristics typicalof Diatrypaceae were isolated from grapevine cankers.Fruiting bodies of Diatrypaceae were also found ondead grapevine wood. Morphological studies and phylogeneticanalyses of the complete sequence of the ITSregion of the rDNA and partial ß-tubulin gene identifiedCryptovalsa ampelina, Diatrypella sp., as well as twospecies of Eutypella from grapevine cankers, in additionto E. lata. Similar species occurred on other agriculturalhost plants and ornamentals adjacent to vineyards. Surveysalso documented Eutypa leptoplaca on Fraxinus,Populus and Schinus spp., however it was not isolatedfrom grapevine. Pathogenicity studies of Diatrypaceaewere conducted by drilling a 3-mm-diameter hole intothe wood of potted Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines andinserting an agar plug with fresh mycelium obtainedfrom the margin of 8-day-old colonies. Plants weremaintained in a shade house for 10 months before beingassessed for lesion development and fungal recovery.Preliminary results for pathogenicity are discussed.