Mediterranean fire sponge
| Mediterranean fire sponge | ||||||||||||
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| Fomitiporia mediterranea | ||||||||||||
| M. fish. |
The Mediterranean fire sponge ( Fomitiporia mediterranea ) is a fungus from the family of the bristle disk relatives (Hymenochaetaceae). It is a causative agent of Esca disease and affects vineyards and other plants, where it causes great damage. In doing so, it breaks down the lignin of the vine, which leads to white rot and death of the plant.
description
Macro features
The Mediterranean fire sponge forms woody-hard fruiting bodies up to 15 mm thick that are attached to the wood and usually grow a few meters high. The narrow edge of the fruiting body, like the hymenophore of the fungus, is brown-yellow. The pores are round and small, their density is 5 to 8 pieces per mm. The mushroom has around 13 mm long tubes with thick partitions; its flesh turns dark on contact with potassium hydroxide . The consistency of the mycelium is similar to cotton, the hyphae above ground are yellowish-brown.
Micro features
The Mediterranean fire sponge has a dimitic hyphal system of generative and skeletal hyphae , which gives the fruit body its hardness. The skeletal hyphae are golden-brown in color, rarely branched and have no septa, they are 2.5–4.5 µm wide. The generative hyphae, however, are translucent with thin walls, often branched and simply septate. They are 2.5 to 3.5 µm wide and usually do not have setae. The spores of the Mediterranean fire sponge are broadly elliptical and translucent, with a size of 6 to 7 × 5–6 µm. They have thick walls, a smooth surface, and are cyanophilic and dextrinoid.
Damage
→ See also: Esca
The Mediterranean fire sponge causes white rot on the infected plant. Above all, the wood of the branches and the trunk, less often the roots, is decomposed. The Mediterranean fire sponge breaks down the lignin of the wood, which makes it light in color. At the same time it becomes fibrous and takes on a spongy consistency. The infestation mostly affects the core area, which the fungus reaches via external wounds, such as interfaces, before it spreads up and down. From the core area, it can also come back to the surface, which often results in the trunk splitting lengthways. The variant of Esca caused by the Mediterranean fire sponge is apparently not associated with external symptoms such as discoloration of the leaves. In the final stage, however, it leads to the death of the host, as the infected areas are no longer able to transport nutrients.
ecology
The Mediterranean fire sponge preferentially infects plants that have already been damaged, for example by the fungi Phaeoacremonium chlamydospora and Phaeoacremonium aleophilum, which are also associated with Esca . The temperature required for growth is between 15 and 35 ° C; The Mediterranean fire sponge finds optimal conditions at around 30 ° C. The fungus reproduces homothallically .
While the infection of wine in particular attracted the interest of oenologists and the public, the Mediterranean fire sponge has also been detected in other species. The olive tree ( Olea europea ), the Chinese Lagerströmie ( Lagerstroemia indica ), the kiwi ( Actinidia chinensis ), the hazelnut ( Corellus avanella ), the laurel ( Laurus nobilis ), the common privet ( Ligustrum vulgare ) and the holm oak are used ( Quercus ilex ), the Cornelian cherry ( Cornus mas ), the black locust ( Robinia pseudoacacia ) or citrus plants ( Citrus ) as hosts.
distribution
The distribution area of the Mediterranean fire sponge mainly includes the Mediterranean area and extends to Germany and western Asia. Apparently outside of southern Europe it is strongly tied to the occurrence of the wine ( Vinus vinifera ).
Systematics
The Mediterranean fire sponge was only recognized as a separate species in 2002. Previously it was mistaken for the cushion-shaped fire sponge ( Fomitiporia punctata ), which also occurs in vines affected by Esca and at the time was again mistaken for the gray fire sponge ( Phellinus igniarius ). The investigation of the genetic material in connection with the ecological properties of the mushroom led to the classification as an independent species. The exact relationships within the genus Fomitiporia are currently unclear, but the morphology suggests a close relationship to the upholstered fire sponge. The Mediterranean fire sponge may be a phylogenetically young taxon.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Michael Fischer: A new wood-decaying basidiomycete species associated with esca of grapevine: Fomitiporia mediterranea (Hymenochaetales). In: Mycological Progress 1 (3). 2002. doi : 10.1007 / s11557-006-0029-4
- ↑ a b c d e f Aurelio Ciancio, KG Mukerji: Integrated Management of Diseases Caused by Fungi, Phytoplasma and Bacteria. In: Integrated Management of Plant Pests and Diseases Vol. 3. 2008. doi : 10.1007 / 978-1-4020-8571-0