Fungal Species Causing Canker and Wilt of and Evidence of Their Association by Bark Beetles in Italy.

Field surveys conducted during 2021 and 2022 in Western Sicily, Italy, revealed the presence of common fig trees severely affected by trunk and crown root canker and bark cracking. Moreover, in conjunction with the symptomatic tissues, the same surveyed plants showed the presence of bark beetle holes and internal wood galleries. The predominant beetle was previously reported attacking figs in Sicily. Phylogenetic analyses based on multilocus DNA data showed the presence of different fungal taxa associated with disease symptoms, including , , , , , and . Pathogenicity tests conducted on potted fig plants showed that all the species were pathogenic to fig, with and spp. as the most aggressive fungal species. Moreover, isolations conducted from the bodies of emerging adult insects recovered from disease samples confirmed the presence of and spp., suggesting the potential involvement of in their dissemination.