Plant Protect. Sci., X:X | DOI: 10.17221/131/2025-PPS

Penicillium allii - a new postharvest pathogen of onion bulbs in SerbiaShort Communication

Stefan Stošić ORCID...1, Danijela Ristić ORCID...1, Svetlana Živković ORCID...1
1 Department of Plant Diseases, Institute for Plant Protection and Environment, Belgrade, Serbia

Onion (Allium cepa L.), a member of the Amaryllidaceae family, is among the oldest and most widely cultivated crops, valued both in cuisine and traditional medicine. Between 2019 and 2021, onion bulbs showing blue-green mould symptoms were collected from storage facilities in Serbia. The isolated fungi were identified and characterised using a combination of morpho-physiological, molecular, phylogenetic, and pathogenicity approaches. Results from morphological and multilocus genetic analyses confirmed that the isolates belonged to Penicillium allii. Pathogenicity assays demonstrated that this species is a pathogen of onion. This is the first record of P. allii on onion bulbs in Serbia as a postharvest pathogen. Monitoring and controlling its occurrence in stored onions is essential to prevent potential health risks and reduce economic losses in onion production.

Keywords: Allium cepa; blue mold; onion rot; morphological characterization; molecular analyses.

Received: August 29, 2025; Revised: March 10, 2026; Accepted: March 12, 2026; Prepublished online: March 12, 2026 

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