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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Mayaguez, Puerto Rico » Tropical Crops and Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #305356
Title: Fungal pathogen complexes associated with rambutan, longan and mango diseases in Puerto Rico

Author
item SEERATO-DIAZ, L.M. - University Of Puerto Rico
item RIVERA-VARGAS, L. - University Of Puerto Rico
item Goenaga, Ricardo
item FRENCH-MONAR, R.D. - Texas A&M Agrilife

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/6/2014
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Different fungi have been associated with diseased inflorescences, leaves, and fruits of mango, rambutan and longan. During a fungal disease survey conducted between 2008 and 2013 at six orchards of rambutan and longan, and one orchard of mango in Puerto Rico, symptoms such as fruit rot, inflorescence blight, rachis canker, flower and vascular necrosis, flower abortion and leaf blotch were observed and sampled. Diseased tissues were disinfested and plated onto APDA medium. A total of 1143 fungal isolates were isolated and identified morphologically and by DNA sequencing of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region of the rDNA, partial region of the 28S large ribosomal subunit, and fragments of ß-tubulin gene, histone H3, calmodulin, actin, chitin synthase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and trans elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1-a). A total of 262 (22.7%) isolates belonged to the Botryosphaeriaceae, 172 (15%) as Diaporthe spp., 128 (11.2%) as Pestalotiopsis spp., 112 (9.8%) as Lasmenia sp., 93 (8.1%) as Fusarium spp., and with lesser frequency, Gliocephalotrichum bulbilium, G. simplex, and Calonectria hongkongensis. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that fruit rot of rambutan was caused by a complex of pathogens such as Lasmenia sp., Lasiodiplodia sp., Colletotrichum sp., C. hongkongensis, G. bulbilium, G. simplex, Pestalotiopsis sp. and Diaporthe sp. Four fungal species in the Bostryosphaeriaceae (Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Neofusicoccum sp., N. parvum, and N. mangiferae) caused inflorescence blight in mango. Lasiodiplodia theobromae also caused inflorescence blight and fruit rot of longan. Lasiodiplodia sp. caused leaf blotch and inflorescence blight of rambutan. Albonectria sp. caused inflorescence wilt, vascular and flower necrosis in rambutan, longan and mango. Diaporthe pseudomangiferae caused inflorescence rot, rachis canker and flower abortion of mango. Fungi, such as Guignardia mangiferae, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Nigrospora oryzae, Alternaria alternata, and Xylaria spp., were endophytes on these fruit crops. Knowing the pathogens involved in each disease complex will allow for better plant disease management practices.