Polyphasic characterization and mating type allele distribution of Monilinia laxa in Iranian stone fruit orchards

Abstract Brown rot disease, caused by species of the genus Monilinia, is a significant fungal disease affecting pome and stone fruit trees. In this study, 565 samples were collected from symptomatic trees across six provinces of Iran between 2018 and 2022. A total of 430 fungal isolates were obtaine...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hadi Golmohammadi, Mahdi Arzanlou, Hossein Jafary, Mounes Bakhshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15129-y
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849343480047861760
author Hadi Golmohammadi
Mahdi Arzanlou
Hossein Jafary
Mounes Bakhshi
author_facet Hadi Golmohammadi
Mahdi Arzanlou
Hossein Jafary
Mounes Bakhshi
author_sort Hadi Golmohammadi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Brown rot disease, caused by species of the genus Monilinia, is a significant fungal disease affecting pome and stone fruit trees. In this study, 565 samples were collected from symptomatic trees across six provinces of Iran between 2018 and 2022. A total of 430 fungal isolates were obtained and identified using both morphological and molecular techniques. PCR assays with species-specific primers revealed that 403 isolates belonged to Monilinia laxa and 27 to Monilinia fructigena. Sequencing of the ITS and Ef-1α gene regions was performed for 12 representative isolates, and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis confirmed species-level identification. Mating-type determination was carried out using newly designed primers targeting the Mat1-1-1 and Mat1-2-1 genes, successfully detecting both mating types in the two species. Pathogenicity tests on apricot, sour cherry, sweet cherry, and plum fruits demonstrated that all selected isolates were highly pathogenic, producing visible symptoms within 3 to 4 days post-inoculation, which led to complete fruit rot and mummification within 23 days. Morphological characterization showed that M. laxa colonies exhibited lobed margins and variable pigmentation, while M. fructigena had smooth colony margins with peach-colored centers. Conidia were blastic, aseptate, and formed in chains, with distinguishable size differences between species. This study provides comprehensive data on the distribution, genetic diversity, mating-type structure, and pathogenic potential of Monilinia spp. in Iran, offering valuable insights for disease monitoring and integrated management strategies in affected orchards.
format Article
id doaj-art-cbd3c4a3a6584456a98afea1a223cc97
institution Kabale University
issn 2045-2322
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj-art-cbd3c4a3a6584456a98afea1a223cc972025-08-20T03:42:57ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111410.1038/s41598-025-15129-yPolyphasic characterization and mating type allele distribution of Monilinia laxa in Iranian stone fruit orchardsHadi Golmohammadi0Mahdi Arzanlou1Hossein Jafary2Mounes Bakhshi3Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of TabrizDepartment of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of TabrizIranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO)Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO)Abstract Brown rot disease, caused by species of the genus Monilinia, is a significant fungal disease affecting pome and stone fruit trees. In this study, 565 samples were collected from symptomatic trees across six provinces of Iran between 2018 and 2022. A total of 430 fungal isolates were obtained and identified using both morphological and molecular techniques. PCR assays with species-specific primers revealed that 403 isolates belonged to Monilinia laxa and 27 to Monilinia fructigena. Sequencing of the ITS and Ef-1α gene regions was performed for 12 representative isolates, and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis confirmed species-level identification. Mating-type determination was carried out using newly designed primers targeting the Mat1-1-1 and Mat1-2-1 genes, successfully detecting both mating types in the two species. Pathogenicity tests on apricot, sour cherry, sweet cherry, and plum fruits demonstrated that all selected isolates were highly pathogenic, producing visible symptoms within 3 to 4 days post-inoculation, which led to complete fruit rot and mummification within 23 days. Morphological characterization showed that M. laxa colonies exhibited lobed margins and variable pigmentation, while M. fructigena had smooth colony margins with peach-colored centers. Conidia were blastic, aseptate, and formed in chains, with distinguishable size differences between species. This study provides comprehensive data on the distribution, genetic diversity, mating-type structure, and pathogenic potential of Monilinia spp. in Iran, offering valuable insights for disease monitoring and integrated management strategies in affected orchards.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15129-yGeographic distributionEf-1αMat1-1-1M. fructigenaMummified fruits
spellingShingle Hadi Golmohammadi
Mahdi Arzanlou
Hossein Jafary
Mounes Bakhshi
Polyphasic characterization and mating type allele distribution of Monilinia laxa in Iranian stone fruit orchards
Scientific Reports
Geographic distribution
Ef-1α
Mat1-1-1
M. fructigena
Mummified fruits
title Polyphasic characterization and mating type allele distribution of Monilinia laxa in Iranian stone fruit orchards
title_full Polyphasic characterization and mating type allele distribution of Monilinia laxa in Iranian stone fruit orchards
title_fullStr Polyphasic characterization and mating type allele distribution of Monilinia laxa in Iranian stone fruit orchards
title_full_unstemmed Polyphasic characterization and mating type allele distribution of Monilinia laxa in Iranian stone fruit orchards
title_short Polyphasic characterization and mating type allele distribution of Monilinia laxa in Iranian stone fruit orchards
title_sort polyphasic characterization and mating type allele distribution of monilinia laxa in iranian stone fruit orchards
topic Geographic distribution
Ef-1α
Mat1-1-1
M. fructigena
Mummified fruits
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15129-y
work_keys_str_mv AT hadigolmohammadi polyphasiccharacterizationandmatingtypealleledistributionofmonilinialaxainiranianstonefruitorchards
AT mahdiarzanlou polyphasiccharacterizationandmatingtypealleledistributionofmonilinialaxainiranianstonefruitorchards
AT hosseinjafary polyphasiccharacterizationandmatingtypealleledistributionofmonilinialaxainiranianstonefruitorchards
AT mounesbakhshi polyphasiccharacterizationandmatingtypealleledistributionofmonilinialaxainiranianstonefruitorchards