Drought-tolerant multipurpose fruit trees Vangueria infausta (Burch) subsp. rotundata (Robyns) and Berchemia discolor (Klotzsch) Hemsl are native to Kenya. These fruit tree species are suitable for dryland agroforestry and support local communities with food, medicine, fodder and other necessities. Reports by the local communities indicate that the two species suffer from diebacks and cankers. The aim of this study was to identify the fungi associated with V. rotundata and B. discolor and determine the cause of diebacks and cankers symptoms observed. Samples were collected from two sites (Tiva and Ikanga) in Kitui County and one site (Mkange) in Makueni County. Fungal isolations were carried out by incubating the samples on malt extract agar media supplemented with Streptomycin Sulphate. Morphological identification grouped the fungal isolates into 7 clusters. Botryosphaeriaceae and Nectriaceae had the highest frequency of occurrence (32.7 and 30.5%) respectively. DNA was extracted from pure fungal cultures, amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences clustered the fungal isolates into seven families; Botryosphaeriaceae, Sporocadaceae, Nectriaceae, Trichosphaeriaceae, Pleosporaceae, Diaporthaceae and Glomerellaceae. Using Koch's postulates, this study showed that isolates of Botryosphaeriaceae within the genera Lasiodiplodia, Alanphillipsia and Dothiorella are pathogenic to B. discolor and other indigenous agroforestry species due to their ability to cause similar symptoms to those observed in the field. This is the first study to investigate the fungal flora linked to V. rotundata and B. discolor dieback and canker diseases.
A study was conducted in Eastern Kenya to assess incidence and severity of Adansonia digitata and Sclerocarya birrea diseases under seasonal variations, and to assess associated fungal genera and their distribution. Asymptomatic and symptomatic tissues were sampled from 175 randomly selected trees. Isolations were done from leaves, twigs and bark following laboratory standard procedures. Samples were plated on Malt Extract Agar (MEA) and incubated at 25°C for 7 days. Fungal colonies were evaluated, and pure cultures were obtained using a single hypha. Fungal pathogens were identified based on morphological characteristics of cultures and spores. Statistical analysis were done using GENSTAT version 18. Fungal morphotypes isolated included: Pestalotia (39.0%), Botryosphaeria (41.0%), Fusarium (12.0%), Alternaria (7.9%) and Cladosporium (0.1%). There were no stastically significant differences (p<0.01) in number of isolated fungi among different plant samples and sampling locations. This is the first detailed study on fungal diversity associated with diseased and healthy A. digitata and S. birrea trees in Kenya and it clearly indicates the need for detailed studies of fungal species isolated to develop mitigation strategies.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.