Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) is valuable for its high taste, nutritional, medicinal and dietary properties of the fruits. The total area of strawberry plantations in Ukraine, according to the State Statistics Service, is 8200 ha. Numerous pests and diseases cause significant damage to strawberries and yield losses. The global climate changes pose great challenges to the agriculture, leading to shifts in species compositions of disease complexes. The aim of our investigations was to determine the current state of fungal pathogen complex of strawberry in Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Regular observations were carried out in the Right Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine (Cherkassy and Kyiv region) in 2021–2023. Plant samples were collected, labeled and examined in the laboratory. Microscopy techniques were used for the assessment of symptoms detected on plant parts and for fungal sporulation. Humid chamber and agar media were used to stimulate mycelium growth and improve sporulation. In total, fungi from 27 genera were isolated. Nine of them belong to the pathogens of leaf diseases (Pestalotia sp., Diplocarpon earlianum, Alternaria spp., Septoria fragarie, Paraphomopsis obscurans, Ramularia grevilleana, Colletotrichum sp., Gnomonia comari, Podosphaera aphanis), 3 – cause damage to fruits (Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Colletotrichum sp.), 4 are associated with diseases of roots and crown (Fusarium spp., Rhizoctonia sp., Rhizopus sp., Cylindrocarpon sp.) and 2 cause wilt (Fusarium spp., Verticillium sp.). Also Coniella fragariae, Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Сladosporium spp., Acremonium sp., Trichotecium roseum, Chaetomium sp., Mucor sp., Epicoccum nigrum, Trichoderma spp., Doratomyces sp. were isolated. Most often, Alternaria spp. (isolation frequency 85%), P.aphanis (82%) and Fusarium spp. (70%) were identified. B.cinerea and P.obscurans were found in 48% of samples. Gray mold prevailed on the fruits. These fungi were present at most or all stages of development of the plants. R.grevilleana and D.earlianum were most common in the second half of vegetation period. The seasonal monitoring of fungi on strawberry provides a means for establishing the optimal periods for their control and developing effective disease protection system.

Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) is valuable for its high taste, nutritional, medicinal and dietary properties of the fruits. The total area of strawberry plantations in Ukraine, according to the State Statistics Service, is 8200 ha. Numerous pests and diseases cause significant damage to strawberries and yield losses. The global climate changes pose great challenges to the agriculture, leading to shifts in species compositions of disease complexes. The aim of our investigations was to determine the current state of fungal pathogen complex of strawberry in Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Regular observations were carried out in the Right Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine (Cherkassy and Kyiv region) in 2021–2023. Plant samples were collected, labeled and examined in the laboratory. Microscopy techniques were used for the assessment of symptoms detected on plant parts and for fungal sporulation. Humid chamber and agar media were used to stimulate mycelium growth and improve sporulation. In total, fungi from 27 genera were isolated. Nine of them belong to the pathogens of leaf diseases (Pestalotia sp., Diplocarpon earlianum, Alternaria spp., Septoria fragarie, Paraphomopsis obscurans, Ramularia grevilleana, Colletotrichum sp., Gnomonia comari, Podosphaera aphanis), 3 – cause damage to fruits (Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Colletotrichum sp.), 4 are associated with diseases of roots and crown (Fusarium spp., Rhizoctonia sp., Rhizopus sp., Cylindrocarpon sp.) and 2 cause wilt (Fusarium spp., Verticillium sp.). Also Coniella fragariae, Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Сladosporium spp., Acremonium sp., Trichotecium roseum, Chaetomium sp., Mucor sp., Epicoccum nigrum, Trichoderma spp., Doratomyces sp. were isolated. Most often, Alternaria spp. (isolation frequency 85%), P.aphanis (82%) and Fusarium spp. (70%) were identified. B.cinerea and P.obscurans were found in 48% of samples. Gray mold prevailed on the fruits. These fungi were present at most or all stages of development of the plants. R.grevilleana and D.earlianum were most common in the second half of vegetation period. The seasonal monitoring of fungi on strawberry provides a means for establishing the optimal periods for their control and developing effective disease protection system.