First report of Neofusicoccum parvum causing stem and branch canker on Cannabis sativa in Italy

In 2016, symptoms of stem canker with branches dieback were detected in several Cannabis sativa L. crops, located in the northeast part of Italy (Rovigo district). Morphological and molecular identifications of the fungal colonies isolated revealed the presence of Neofusicoccum parvum. The pathogenicity was verified with Koch’s postulates setup. To our knowledge, this is the first report of N. parvum as a pathogen of C. sativa worldwide.