Morphological and pathogenic characteristics of the fungus Cladobotryum dendroides, the causal agent of cobweb disease of the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus in Serbia

Abstract

Twenty isolates were isolated from diseased fruiting bodies of Agaricus bisporus collected from Serbian mushroom farms during 2003-2007. The isolates formed white, cottony, aerial colonies on agar media. With age, conidia and colonies turned yellow and redish. Pathogenicity of these isolates was confirmed by inoculation of harvested basidiomes of A. bisporus and by casing inoculation. Symptoms similar to natural infection were recorded. Based on pathogenicity tests and morphological characteristics, the isolates were identified as Cladobotryum dendroides (Bulliard : Fries) W. Gams & Hoozemans.