The sources of Rosellinia necatrix infections in northern Israel’s deciduous orchards

Abstract: Rosellinia necatrix causes wilting and death of apples and other deciduous trees in northern Israel. The objectives of the present study were to identify and locate sources of inoculum of the fungus. About 60% of the infested plots were located near a Mediterranean oak maquis forest, and the infection apparently spread from the edge of the orchard to its core. Isolates collected from different orchards appeared to be genetically different from each other, except for three plots that belonged to different farmers but were located near each other. In three plots, isolates collected from different trees in the same orchard were genetically identical, whereas in one plot, in which the soil was not native, different genetic groups were observed.