First Report of Fusarium proliferatum Causing Rot of Stored Garlic Bulbs (Allium sativum L.) in Italy

During 2011, Fusarium rot of stored garlic was detected on bulbs of ‘Aglio Bianco’ (white garlic) in Piacenza, Ferrara and Rovigo districts. Bulbs, harvested in July, were asymptomatic. During conservation in the drying sheds, approximately thirty percent of bulbs appeared emptied and softened. Fusarium proliferatum was consistently recovered from infected bulbs. The morphological identification was confirmed by Translation Elongation Factor 1‐alpha gene sequencing. Koch postulates were checked through pathogenicity tests. The disease has already been reported in Serbia, Germany, Spain, United States, China and India, but to our knowledge, this is the first report of F. proliferatum garlic bulb rot in Italy.