Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Applied Fruit Science, cilt.68, sa.2, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Mal secco disease is a destructive fungal disease of citrus in the Mediterranean basin caused by Plenodomus tracheiphilus. Although all citrus species can serve as hosts, lemon is the primary host. In this study, the effects of mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus caledonium, G. clarium, G. etunicatum, G. fasciculatum, G. intraradices, and G. mosseae) on mal secco disease and on phenolic compounds (hesperidin, limonin, and scoparone) in lemon trees were investigated. In total, 15 P. tracheiphilus isolates obtained from diseased plant samples collected in Mersin and Adana provinces caused disease severity ranging from 6.7% to 86.7% on seedlings of the ‘Kütdiken’ lemon cultivar. The most virulent isolate (P. tracheiphilus Seymenli) was selected for further experiments. Under in vivo conditions, mycorrhizal fungi generally reduced disease severity compared with the pathogen-inoculated control. Glomus species reduced disease severity by 6.7–60% and limited pathogen progression within vascular tissues by 8.3–52.5%. Among the tested mycorrhizal fungi, Glomus fasciculatum was identified as the most effective species in reducing disease severity and vascular infections. Phenolic compound analyses indicated that G. fasciculatum generally increased phenolic compounds in pathogen-inoculated plants. These findings highlight the potential of G. fasciculatum as an effective component of sustainable strategies for the management of mal secco disease.