Morphological and Pathogenic Characteristics of the Causal Agents of Dry and Wet Bubble Deseases of White Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach) in Serbia

Abstract

Diseased fruit bodies of Agaricus bisporus, bearing symptoms similar to those caused by Verticillium fungicola and Mycogone perniciosa, were observed during the screening of eight mushroom farms in Serbia in 2002 and 2003. Nine isolates, forming either appressed white or pale brown colonies on PDA medium, were recovered. The isolates were identified on the basis of their morphological, physiological and pathogenic characteristics, and by comparing them to V. fungicola var. fungicola and M. perniciosa isolates originating from United Kingdom, and V. fungicola var. aleophilum from the USA. Pathogenicity of these isolates was confirmed by casing inoculation, on which occasion symptoms of both dry and wet bubble disease were recorded. Five isolates were identified as Verticillium fungicola(Preuss) Hassebrauk var. fungicola (W. Gams & Van Zaayen), and four as Mycogone perniciosa(Magnus) Delacroix.

Keywords

• White button mushroom
• Verticillium fungicola var. Fungicola
• Mycogone perniciosa
• Morphological characteristics