Lasiodiplodia theobromae is one of the most frequent fungal pathogens associated with dieback, gummosis, leaf spot, stem‐end rot and fruit rot symptoms in cashew, mango, papaya and grapevine. In this study, the variation in the genetic diversity of 117 L. theobromae isolates from northeastern Brazil (n = 100) and Mexico (n = 17), which were collected from these four crops, was analysed using microsatellite markers. The results revealed low genetic diversity among L. theobromae populations and the existence of two genetic groups. All Mexican isolates were grouped with Brazilian isolates, suggesting a low level of differentiation between these populations. Furthermore, no evident host or climate‐based population differentiation was observed for L. theobromae in Brazil. The populations studied were mostly clonal, but additional studies are needed to better understand the mode of reproduction of the pathogen. The low genetic diversity of L. theobromae populations in northeastern Brazil suggests that resistant cultivars could be used as a durable management strategy to reduce the impact of the diseases caused by this pathogen.
In the North and Northeast of Brazil, trees of Hibiscus tiliaceus L. are commonly used as ornamentals in gardens and sidewalks. More than 10 genera of phytopathogenic fungi were described on this host in the world. But, only Puccinia heterospora was described on this host in Brazil (Farr & Rossman, 2021). However, brown or reddish-brown spots with yellow halo were observed on the leaves of plants located in the city of Teresina, north-eastern Brazil. These symptoms were seen in 30% of the plants, and no coalescence of lesions was observed. Thus, this study aimed to identify and characterize the isolates obtained from these leaf spot in H. tiliaceus. Isolates were identified on the basis of both morphological traits and multi-gene phylogenetic analysis. Koch's postulates were fulfilled by reproducing the symptoms on artificially inoculated H. tiliaceus plants and re-isolation of the pathogen.
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