Fig limb dieback is a cosmopolitan disease caused by Neoscytalidium dimidiatum (Botryosphaeriaceae), characterized by branch and shoot cankers, discoloration of woody tissues, and dieback. The present study investigated the etiology of the disease in California that seems to have become prevalent among fig orchards in the last several years. During orchard surveys in Fresno, Kern, and Madera Counties over 3 years, we isolated consistently and evaluated the pathogenicity of N. dimidiatum under laboratory and field conditions. The effect of summer and winter pruning on the disease severity and the effects of different environmental and mechanical stresses, such as sunburn and wounding by mallets, were assayed. In addition, the susceptibility of six different cultivars and the effects of eradicating cankered shoots from the fig trees as a method to combat the spread of the disease were studied. Pathogenicity tests demonstrated that N. dimidiatum induces cankers on fig, mainly on wounded shoots. Results from the remaining experiments revealed that summer infection leads to more severe canker lesions than those induced by winter infection and that stressed shoots are more susceptible to infection than nonstressed shoots. 'Brown Turkey', 'Conadria', and 'Calimyrna' cultivars (all nonpersistent figs, i.e., needing pollination for fruit development) were less susceptible than the more susceptible 'Kadota', 'Sierra', and 'Black Mission' (all persistent figs, i.e., not needing pollination for fruit development). Canker removal from the orchard seems to be a good agronomic practice to avoid the spread of disease.
Keywords: Botryosphaeriaceae; Ficus carica; Neoscytalidium dimidiatum; cankers; fig; limb dieback.