Paper · 2026 · PLoS ONE

Thyrostroma parviniae sp. nov., causing bud necrosis and branch dieback in fig trees from Iran

Hamed Negahban; Zeinab Bolboli; Moslem Jafari; et al.

7
claims
14
verbatim quotes
1
citations
3
research areas
✓
Open access · cc-by

Abstract

Surveys were conducted in commercial fig orchards in Fars Province, Iran, from 2023 to 2024, focusing on symptomatic trees showing bud necrosis, branch dieback, and wood discoloration. Isolates with characteristic features of the genus Thyrostroma were isolated from diseased samples in Estahban, Ij, Qalat, and Shiraz Counties. Phylogenetic analyses using multigene sequence data from the tef1, tub2, ITS, and LSU loci, combined with morphological characteristics, revealed a new species of Thyrostroma, described here as Thyrostroma parviniae sp. nov. All T. parviniae sp. nov. isolates induced necrotic lesions on detached shoots, and principal component analysis showed a high degree of variation in aggressiveness. Pathogenicity was unequivocally established via Koch's postulates, with artificial inoculations on fig saplings reproducing field symptoms on shoots, stems, and buds. Given its broad tissue tropism and ability to infect unwounded tissues in fig orchards, we hypothesize that T. parviniae sp. nov. may utilize airborne or latent infection mechanisms. This represents a key area for future investigation. The pathogen specifically targets primary buds, which are the most productive, indicating a significant potential for yield loss. Considering that figs are a widely traded commodity and plant material is transported internationally, the pathogen's emergence poses a serious threat to global fig production. This threat warrants urgent research into molecular diagnostics, host range expansion risks, cultivar susceptibility, and climate-influenced epidemiology to guide effective fig disease management.

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Claims 7

Observationobservedoriginal resultbasis n/a

Claim · model-written summary

A new species of Thyrostroma, Thyrostroma parviniae sp. nov., was described from fig trees.

Taxon
fig treesFicust0
Outcome
new species of Thyrostromae1
Setting
Fars Province, Irane0

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Ficus
Ficus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)איתן פרמן 14:23, 31 May 2006 (UTC) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

t0

“branch dieback in fig trees”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 57–84 · show in text ↑
e0

“Surveys were conducted in commercial fig orchards in Fars Province, Iran”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 0–72 · show in text ↑
e1

“revealed a new species of Thyrostroma, described here as Thyrostroma parviniae sp. nov”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 466–552 · show in text ↑
Observationobservedoriginal resultnegativemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

All T. parviniae sp. nov. isolates induced necrotic lesions on detached fig shoots.

Taxon
fig treesFicust0
Interactor
T. parviniae sp. nov.e2pathogen
Outcome
necrotic lesionse2
Qualifier
on detached shootse2

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Ficus
Ficus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)איתן פרמן 14:23, 31 May 2006 (UTC) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

t0

“branch dieback in fig trees”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 57–84 · show in text ↑
e2

“All T. parviniae sp. nov. isolates induced necrotic lesions on detached shoots”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 554–632 · show in text ↑
Observationobservedoriginal resultmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

The isolates showed a high degree of variation in aggressiveness.

Taxon
fig treesFicust0
Outcome
aggressivenesse3
Qualifier
high degree of variatione3

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Ficus
Ficus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)איתן פרמן 14:23, 31 May 2006 (UTC) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

t0

“branch dieback in fig trees”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 57–84 · show in text ↑
e3

“principal component analysis showed a high degree of variation in aggressiveness”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 638–718 · show in text ↑
Observationobservedoriginal resultnegativemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Pathogenicity of T. parviniae sp. nov. was established by Koch's postulates with artificial inoculations on fig saplings.

Taxon
fig saplingse4
Treatment
artificial inoculationse4
Outcome
Pathogenicitye4
Qualifier
Koch's postulatese4

Verbatim

e4

“Pathogenicity was unequivocally established via Koch's postulates, with artificial inoculations on fig saplings reproducing field symptoms on shoots, stems, and buds”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 720–885 · show in text ↑
Observationobservedoriginal resultnegativemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

The pathogen specifically targets primary buds, which are the most productive.

Taxon
fig treesFicust0
Outcome
targets primary budse5
Qualifier
the most productivee5

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Ficus
Ficus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)איתן פרמן 14:23, 31 May 2006 (UTC) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

t0

“branch dieback in fig trees”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 57–84 · show in text ↑
e5

“The pathogen specifically targets primary buds, which are the most productive”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1123–1200 · show in text ↑
Mechanismhypothesisoriginal resultbasis n/a

Claim · model-written summary

T. parviniae sp. nov. may utilize airborne or latent infection mechanisms.

Taxon
fig treesFicust0
Interactor
T. parviniae sp. nov.e6pathogen
Outcome
airborne or latent infection mechanismse6

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Ficus
Ficus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)איתן פרמן 14:23, 31 May 2006 (UTC) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

t0

“branch dieback in fig trees”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 57–84 · show in text ↑
e6

“we hypothesize that T. parviniae sp. nov. may utilize airborne or latent infection mechanisms”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 975–1068 · show in text ↑
Observationobservedoriginal resultnegativemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

The pathogen infects unwounded fig tissues.

Taxon
fig treesFicust0
Outcome
infect unwounded tissuese6
Qualifier
broad tissue tropisme6

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Ficus
Ficus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)איתן פרמן 14:23, 31 May 2006 (UTC) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

t0

“branch dieback in fig trees”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 57–84 · show in text ↑
e6

“Given its broad tissue tropism and ability to infect unwounded tissues in fig orchards”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 887–973 · show in text ↑