Characteristics of some Phytophthora species isolated from oak forest soils in central and northern Italy

Abstract

Four Phytophthora species, P. citricola, P. megasperma, P. quercina and P. syringae, were isolated during a systematic survey of oak forests (Quercus cerris and Q. robur) in Tuscany (central Italy), and in the Po Valley and the Venetian Plain (northern Italy) from 22 out of 54 soil samples. The main morphological characteristics of the isolates and their growth rates on different substrates and at different temperatures are reported.