EVALUATION OF SUSCEPTIBILITY OF SOME WOODY TREES AND GRAPEVINE CULTIVARS TO Neofusicoccum parvum AND Diplodia seriata ASSOCIATED WITH GRAPEVINE DECLINE IN IRAN

Ten grapevine cultivars include of “Yaghuti Siah”, “Askari Zarghan”, “Khalil Bavanat”, “Bidane Ghermez Ghazvin”, “Bidane Sefid Ghazvin”, “Yaghuti Sefid”, “Rish Baba”, “Rotabi”, “Siah Sisakht”, “Siah” and 14 trees include of pistachio, almond, peach, apple, apricot, willow, sycamore, fig, service, elm, acacia, mulberry, ash and pomegranate were evaluatedto infection by Neofusicoccum parvum and Diplodia seriata which were isolated from grapevines showing decline symptoms in Iran. Artificial inoculations were made on rooted cuttings of grapevine and trees branches in the greenhouse and field conditions respectively. Data were collected by recording the external symptoms and length of the resulting necrosis 4 months later. Based on the pathogenicity tests on grapevine cultivars both species gave the longest and the smallest lesions on “Yaghuti Siah” and “Siah” cultivars respectively. Based on the pathogenicity tests on the trees in the field, N. parvum and D. seriata gave the least lesions on pomegranate. In this regards N. parvum produced the longest lesions on pistachio while D. seriata caused the longest lesions on apple. Generally, this study indicated that the presence of trunk pathogens such as D. seriata and N. parvum in native vegetation and orchards planted in close proximity to vineyards, as an alternative hosts and potential source of inoculum, may affect the health of the vineyards.