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Diversity of airborne Cladosporium species isolated from agricultural environments of northern Argentinean Patagonia: molecular characterization and plant pathogenicity

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Abstract

Fungal spores are normal components of external environments. They have been reported to be associated with human, animal and plant diseases causing primary and opportunistic infections. Cladosporium is commonly the most frequently isolated genus from air samples, and its species are considered mainly saprophytic, but there is a wide variety of taxa that can cause adverse effects on human and animal health and also on plants. In this work, we aimed to record Cladosporium spores frequency of isolation in northern Argentinean Patagonia and to perform a molecular characterization based on actin gene complemented with EF1α and ITS genes. The ability of the pathogens to cause disease in pip fruits of Packham’s Triumph and Abate Fetel pears and red delicious apples was determined. Results confirmed Cladosporium spores as the main genera isolated from air samples, and the molecular characterization revealed the existence of 11 species in this region grouped in C. cladosporioides and C. herbarum complexes. Pathogenicity tests revealed that Cladosporium sp. cause disease on fruit. Abate Fetel was the most susceptible to infection. These results compose the first study in Argentina in respect of identification at species level of airborne Cladosporium spores, and furthermore, it is the first report in northern Patagonia and the high valley of Río Negro productive region. This knowledge can help farmers to take preventive measures in order to avoid biological damage.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Javier Alonso (Universidad Nacional de Río Negro), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Río Negro (UNRN) (Grant No. PI 40-A-382) and Universidad Nacional de Quilmes (UNQ) for financial support.

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  1. Escuela de Producción, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Mitre 331, 8336, Villa Regina, Provincia de Río Negro, Argentina

    Carolina Virginia Temperini & Graciela Noemí Pose

  2. Laboratorio de Micología Molecular, Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Roque Saenz Peña 352, B1876BXD, Bernal, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Alejandro Guillermo Pardo

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  1. Carolina Virginia Temperini
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Correspondence to Carolina Virginia Temperini.

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Temperini, C.V., Pardo, A.G. & Pose, G.N. Diversity of airborne Cladosporium species isolated from agricultural environments of northern Argentinean Patagonia: molecular characterization and plant pathogenicity. Aerobiologia 34, 227–239 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-018-9509-7

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