Diaporthe eres Nitschke IS THE ONLY Diaporthe SPECIES FOUND ON BLUEBERRY IN CROATIA

Sa？etak Increase in blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) cultivation in Croatia during the last several years raised an interest in pests and pathogens occurring on this fruit crop. Among them, fungus Diaporthe vaccinii (Phomopsis vaccinii) is currently regulated as a quarantine harmful organism. Diaporthe vaccinii is the causal agent of Phomopsis shoot blight and canker on blueberry, and the status of this regulated pathogen in Croatia has been unknown. From 2016 to 2018, an official survey was carried out in Croatian blueberry orchards to determine the eventual presence of D. vaccinii. Thirty-three visual inspections were performed in 24 blueberry orchards in 11 counties and the City of Zagreb, and 66 samples of twigs showing symptoms resembling Phomopsis twig blight and canker were collected. Diaporthe spp. were detected in 20 samples, and 20 isolates were collected. In the majority of samples (49) fungi from Botryosphaeriaceae family were found, alone or co-occurring with Diaporthe. Phylogenetic analysis of ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 ribosomal DNA sequences showed that all Diaporthe isolates collected can be identified as Diaporthe eres. The survey confirmed the status of D. vaccinii as the pathogen not known to occur in Croatia