Fifty isolates of Crinipellis perniciosa originating from Theobroma cacao , Heteropterys acutifolia and Solanum lycocarpum , from six states within Brazil, were characterized through ERIC-PCR, representing the first application of this method for molecular characterization within C. perniciosa . Phenetic analysis of banding patterns revealed a separation of isolates on the basis of host of origin, with T. cacao -derived isolates showing only a 0·2 similarity level to a cluster comprising the isolates from H. acutifolia and S. lycocarpum . Considerable intraspecific variability was observed within C. perniciosa isolates from T. cacao , with distinct groups observed correlating with geographical origin. Given that a number of isolates from T. cacao from the Amazon region grouped with isolates from Bahia state, this work discusses the possibility that current C. perniciosa populations pathogenic on T. cacao in Bahia originated from the Amazon region, rather than from alternative host plants.

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