جهانشیر امینی

Esca is a complex disease of grapevine with worldwide distribution. Damage caused by the disease is increasingly developing. Various fungal species have been identified associated with esca symptoms in different regions around the world. Pestalotioid fungi have rarely been isolated from esca disease symptoms. During a survey on grapevine decline and trunk diseases in Kurdistan Province in 2011-2012 some 30 fungal isolates resemble to Pestalotia were obtained from different grapevine cultivars showing esca disease symptoms. Based on morphology and ITS sequence data four species were identified; one in Truncatella and three in Seimatosporium. Isolates resided in Truncatella clade were characterized as T. angustata, a well-known species isolated from different hosts including Vitis vinifera. ITS phylogeny separated other isolates in three distinct and morphologically supported clades in Seimatosporium as representatives of three unknown species completely different from all described species. These species will be described formally as new taxa for international mycobiota in next future.