Severe Outbreaks of Bunch Rots Caused by Rhizopus stolonifer and Aspergillus niger on Table Grapes in Chile
Authors: Latorre B. A. , Viertel S. C. , Spadaro I. 
Published: May 2007

Severe outbreaks of bunch rots (BR) have occurred recently during harvest of table grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) in Chile. Previously, BR was almost exclusively associated with Botrytis cinerea Pers.:Fr. (2,3); however, in 2000 to 2002, BR symptoms were associated with black molds and possibly nonfilamentous yeasts and bacteria. Cvs. Thompson Seedless, Flame Seedless, Ruby Seedless, and Red Globe were severely affected. Symptoms start at the pedicels as soft, watery rots that partially or completely decay infected berries. Longitudinal cracks are produced, a black mold usually develops along the crack fissures, and the skin of the berry turns light gray. Isolations on potato dextrose agar acidified with 1 N lactic acid (APDA) at 0.5 ml/liter, consistently yielded Rhizopus stolonifer (Ehrenb. ex Fr.) Vuillemin and Aspergillus niger Tiegh. R. stolonifer on APDA produced a white-to-gray aerial and nonseptate mycelium, black and globose sporangia with an elliptical collumela, one-celled, globose to oval, striated, almost hyaline sporangiospores, rhizoids, and stolons. A. niger produced septate mycelium. Single-celled, black, rough walled, globose conidia developed on short chains on the second phialides at the tip of globose, upright conidiophores. Mature (soluble solids >16%) detached berries of cv. Thompson Seedless were inoculated with sporangiospores (≈107 spores per ml) of R. stolonifer isolates RS6, RS52, RS73, and RS79 and conidia (≈108 conidia per ml) of A. niger isolates AN12, AN69, and AN75. When berries were aseptically punctured with a sterile hypodermic syringe prior to inoculation, 60 to 86.7% and 42.5 to 100% of berries were infected with R. stolonifer and A. niger, respectively, and both developed BR symptoms (significantly different from control berries) after 48 h in humid chambers at 23°C. Injuries were needed for infection since no infection or only 23.3% of noninjured berries were infected with R. stolonifer and A. niger, respectively. For both pathogens, there was a significant (P < 0.043) interaction between isolates and the presence or absence of injuries. Both pathogens were successfully reisolated on APDA. Fungicide sensitivity tests were performed on detached cv. Thompson Seedless berries challenged by placing an ≈6 μl-drop of inoculum suspension (106 or 107 spores per ml of R. stolonifer isolate RS52 and A. niger isolate AN12, respectively) on injured berries. Pyraclostrobin (0.067 mg/ml) mixed with nicobifen at 0.134 mg/ml (BAS 516 01 F at 0.201 mg a.i./ml, BASF) and copper oxide at 1.2 mg/ml (Cuprodul 60 WP, Quimetal Chile) significantly (P < 0.01) inhibited infection (100% control) by R. stolonifer and A. niger. R. stolonifer was completely controlled by dicloran at 1.88 mg/ml (Botran 75 WP) and partially controlled by captan at 1.6 mg/ml (Captan 80 WP), but A. niger was not controlled by either fungicide. To our knowledge this is the first report of R. stolonifer causing BR of table grape in Chile (4). The severe outbreaks may be associated with warm weather conditions during harvest and injuries caused by birds, insects, or cultural practices. Infection caused by R. stolonifer or A. niger may be followed by sour rot organisms (yeasts or bacteria), as has been suggested elsewhere (1,2).

References: (1) E. Gravot et al. Phytoma 543:36, 2001. (2) W. B. Hewitt Page 26 in: Compendium of Grape Diseases, American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1994. (3) B. A. Latorre and G. Vásquez. Aconex (Chile) 52:16, 1996. (4) F. Mujica and C. Vergara. Flora Fungosa Chilena. Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Agronomiacute;a, Santiago, Chile, 1980.