Fungi associated with esca and grapevine declines in North Ribatejo, Portugal

A survey of 179 vineyards in eight municipalities of North Ribatejo, Portugal, namely Abrantes, Almeirim, Alpiarça, Chamusca, Golegã, Santarém, Tomar, and Torres Novas was conducted in 2002 to identify pathogenic wood fungi. Grapevines showing esca and decline symptoms were examined for the presence of pathogenic fungi. Slightly less than half of the vineyards (46.4%) showed symptoms of grapevine decline. Eighteen phytopathogenic fungi were isolated from the wood of the grapevines with decline symptoms. The isolates were identified according to their morphological characteristics on PDA. The fungi isolated and the percentage of the vineyards affected were: Phaeoacremonium spp. (22.9%), Phaeomoniella chlamydospora (20.5%), Phomopsis viticola (18.1%), Phoma sp. (14.5%), Penicillium sp. (10.8%), Sphaeropsis sp. (8.4%), Seimatosporium sp. (7.2%), Alternaria sp. (6.0%), Acremonium sp. (4.8%), Conyothyrium sp. (4.8%), Truncatella sp. (4.8%), Cladosporium sp. (3.6%), Aureobasidium sp. (2.4%), Fusarium sp. (2.4%), Arthrinium sp. (1.2%), Fomitiporia punctata (1.2%), Pestalotiopsis sp. (1.2%), and Phytophthora sp. (1.2%). The spatial distribution of the fungi in North Ribatejo is presented and discussed