Foliar blight and shoot dieback caused by Phytophthora ramorum on Viburnum tinus in the Pistoia area, Tuscany, central Italy

In spring 2013, pot-grown Viburnum tinus plants shipped to an ornamental nursery in Pescia (Pistoia, central Italy, 287 m a.s.l., 43°54′0″ N, 10°41′0″ E) from another local nursery were found to bear disease symptoms. Symptoms included brown to black foliar lesions, later expanding into larger blotches; necrosis of the petioles; shoot wilting and folding; browning of the stems; and necrosis of the cambium. Infected leaves, shoots, and entire plants eventually died. This is the first report of the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum on a native species (V. tinus) in this country. The Pistoia area is important for nursery gardens and flowers. P. ramorum, which probably arrived on infected plant material, could compromise the export/import trade in stock plants. For this reason, the plant protection services were promptly alerted and the infected plants were destroyed.