and Species as Postharvest Pathogens of Pear Fruit () in Serbia.

Pears are one of the oldest and the third most important fruit species grown in temperate regions. They are consumed because of their nutritional and health benefits, in fresh form or as various processed products. This article resolves the etiology of the -like mold symptoms on pear fruits in Serbia. Samples of pear fruits with blue mold and other -like mold symptoms were collected in Serbia from 2016 to 2019, from four storages. The recovered isolates were identified and characterized according to a polyphasic approach. Morphological and physiological analyses were performed on three media and five temperatures, respectively. Four loci (internal transcribed spacer, beta-tubulin, calmodulin, and DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II second largest subunit) were used for sequencing, genetic identification, and phylogenetic analyses. The results of the identification by conventional and molecular methods were in agreement, and they revealed that the obtained isolates belong to five species: , , , , and . In a pathogenicity test, , , , and produced decay on artificially inoculated pear fruits, and induced tissue response lesions. The results of this study are the first reports of and as postharvest pear pathogens. Also, these are the first world records of , , and on fruits of European pear. Furthermore, this is the first finding of , , , , and on pear fruit in Serbia.