Mario Riolo

University of Catania | UNICT · Department of Agriculture Food and Environment (Di3A)

This review deals with major diseases caused by fungi and oomycetes in the citrus supply chain, including post-harvest fruit diseases, and summarizes the strategies and techniques that may be adopted to prevent the damages and losses they cause. Its scope is to highlight the contribute that smart technologies provide towards new solutions for susta...

This study identified secondary metabolites produced by Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Penicillium digitatum in fruits of two blood orange cultivars before harvest. Analysis was performed by UHPLC–Q-TOF-MS. Three types of fruits were selected, asymptomatic, symptomatic showing necrotic lesions caused by hail, and mummifie...

Fruit anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum species is a major disease of olive (Olea europaea) worldwide. In this study, we tested in vitro the susceptibility of eight widely grown Italian olive cultivars and one Spanish cultivar to five Colletotrichum species. The Italian cultivars were ‘Carolea’, ‘Cassanese’, ‘Coratina’, ‘Dolce Agogia’, ‘Frantoio...

Managing post-harvest decays in citrus fruit without relying on conventional pesticides presents a significant challenge in modern Plant Pathology. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the biological control agent Candida oleophila strain O in controlling green mold caused by Penicillium digitatum throughout various stages of the post-harve...

Simple Summary Given the imperative need to control Salmonella in animal production, and the escalating problem of antimicrobial resistance, there is a paramount requirement for alternative strategies that can uphold both animal productivity and health. In this context, the utilization of probiotics is an important option that needs to be further s...

This study was aimed to characterize the secondary metabolites produced by four Colletotrichum species, C. acutatum, C. gloeosporioides, C. godetiae and C. karsti, both in vitro, on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and oatmeal agar (OA), and during the infection process of fruits of four olive cultivars differing in susceptibility to anthracnose, 'Corati...

This study identified secondary metabolites produced by Alternaria alternata , Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Penicillium digitatum in fruits of two blood orange cultivars before harvest. Analysis was performed by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Three types of fruits were selected, asymptomatic, symptomatic showing necrotic lesions caused by hail, and mummifie...

This study was aimed to characterize the secondary metabolites produced by four Colletotrichum species, C. acutatum, C. gloeosporioides, C. godetiae and C. karsti, both in vitro, on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and oatmeal agar (OA), and during the infection process of fruits of four olive cultivars differing in susceptibility to anthracnose, Coratin...

In this study, 16 Lactobacilli (LABs) isolated from the drupes of olive ( Olea europaea ) oil varieties were identified as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (seven isolates), Pediococcus pentosaceus (six isolates), Enterococcus faecium (two isolates) and Streptococcus salivarius (a single isolate) by peptide mass fingerprinting and sequencing of the 16...

The objective of this study was to investigate the role of the oomycete Phytophthora× cambivora in the decline affecting European beech (Fagus sylvatica) in the Nebrodi Regional Park (Sicily, southern Italy). In a survey of a beech forest stand in the heart of the park, Phytophthora× cambivora was the sole Phytophthora species recovered from the rh...

Paulownia species are fast growing trees native to China, which are being grown in managed plantings in several European countries for the production of wood and biomasses. In 2018, wilting, stunting, leaf yellowing, and collapse, as a consequence of root and crown rot, were observed in around 40% of trees of a 2-year-old planting of Paulownia elon...

Since 1999, an unusual Phytophthora species has repeatedly been found associated with stem lesions and root and collar rot on young olive trees in Southern Italy. In all cases, this species was obtained from recently established commercial plantations or from nursery plants. Morphologically , the Phytophthora isolates were characterized by the abun...

Neofusicoccum parvum, in the family Botryosphaeriaceae, was identified as the causal agent of bot gummosis of lemon (Citrus × limon) trees, in the two major lemon-producing regions in Italy. Gummy cankers on trunk and scaffold branches of mature trees were the most typical disease symptoms. Neofusicoccum parvum was the sole fungus constantly and co...

This study was aimed at identifying Alternaria species associated with heart rot disease of pomegranate fruit in southern Italy and characterizing their mycotoxigenic profile. A total of 42 Alternaria isolates were characterized. They were obtained from pomegranate fruits with symptoms of heart rot sampled in Apulia and Sicily and grouped into six...

(1) Background: This study was aimed at identifying the Colletotrichum species associated with twig and shoot dieback of citrus, a new syndrome occurring in the Mediterranean region and also reported as emerging in California. (2) Methods: Overall, 119 Colletotrichum isolates were characterized. They were recovered from symptomatic trees of sweet o...

In this study, the early activation of plant-defense-related genes during a three-way plant–antagonist–pathogen interaction in a tomato–Trichoderma–Phytophthora nicotianae model system was evaluated. Thirty-day-old tomato seedlings were treated at the root systems with a suspension of germinated conidia of two selected strains of T. asperellum and...

Most soilborne Phytophthora species are invasive plant pathogens, and nursery plants for transplanting are considered a primary pathway for the introduction of exotic Phytophthora species into plant diversity conservation sites. As a preliminary contribution to the study of Phytophthora populations in plant conservation sites, we compared the diver...

Most soilborne Phytophthora species are invasive plant pathogens and nursery plants for transplanting are considered a primary pathway for the introduction of exotic Phytophthora species into plant diversity conservation sites. As a preliminary contribute to the study of Phytophthora populations in plant conservation sites, we compared the diversit...

Decoding the mechanisms of plant defense against plant pathogens in a scenario where antagonistic activity and the plant growth-promoting effects of useful organisms intervene simultaneously is a new frontier of plant pathology. Here, we demonstrated that (i) two selected strains of Trichoderma asperellum and Trichoderma atroviride promoted tomato...

Research Highlights: Protected natural areas are a reservoir of Phytophthora species and represent the most suitable sites to study their ecology, being less disturbed by human activities than other environments. Background and Objectives: The specific objective of this study was to correlate the diversity and distribution of Phytophthora species w...

Leaf chlorosis, severe defoliation and wilt associated with root rot were observed on mature olive trees cv. Nera di Gonnos in an experimental orchard at Mirto Crosia (Calabria, southern Italy). An oomycete was consistently isolated from rotten roots of symptomatic olive trees. It was identified as Phytophthora bilorbang by morphological characters...

Thin-skinned banana “Lady finger”, a diploid hybrid (AA) of Musa acuminata, is grown for its edible fruits and as an ornamental. In April 2019, in an open-air market in Catania (southern Italy), 42% of fruits in a stock of 2,000 pounds of this banana cultivar showed numerous small dark circular spots and dark brown to black, sunken lesions, lenticu...