Draft genome sequence of the pear pathogen Stemphylium vesicarium strain SVES21

Pear is a globally cultivated fruit crop, extensively distributed in international markets. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAOSTAT), European pear production reached nearly 2 million tons in 2022, accounting for 9.1% of global production. Italy contributed 11.7% to Europe’s pear output. However, ISTAT data show that between 2006 and 2024, Italy’s pear cultivation area decreased by 40%, while harvested production declined by 52.7%. One of the major contributors to this decline is disease pressure. Since its first report in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy in 1975, brown spot of pear has spread across numerous European countries, becoming one of the most serious fungal diseases affecting pear orchards. This disease, caused by the fungus Stemphylium vesicarium (Wallr.) E. Simmons, belonging to the Phylum Ascomycota, has led to significant economic losses in European pear-growing regions (Llorente et al. 2012; Teufel et al. 2022). In northern Italy, S. vesicarium poses a particularly severe threat, forcing the replacement of many orchards and highlighting the need for more effective management strategies.