Diseases

Olive leaf spot

Olea europaea L.

The most significant disease is peacock spot, caused by the fungus Venturia oleaginea. The disease manifests as circular spots with a chlorotic halo on the leaves, leading to their premature abscission.

In the reference 71 varieties crop Olive, where this is mentioned in the description.

The primary causal agent of leaf spots in olive is the ascomycete fungus Venturia oleaginea, also known by its anamorph name Spilocaea oleaginea. Less common are infections caused by the fungus Pseudocercospora cladosporioides, which causes cercosporiosis, or by members of the genus Nigrospora.

Symptoms of peacock spot appear as circular spots ranging from 2 to 10 mm in diameter, located primarily on the upper surface of the leaves and often surrounded by a yellow chlorotic halo. As the infection progresses, the spots darken due to the sporulation process of the fungus.

Severe infection by the pathogen causes mass defoliation, which significantly weakens the tree and reduces its productivity. Currently, specific pathogen races have not been described, and universally accepted resistance genes in olive cultivars have not been established; therefore, susceptibility is assessed based on phenotypic traits.

General information about the subject — on the page Leaf spot diseases.

Active

Olea europaea L. · Olive

1 record