An emended description of Neofusicoccum brasiliense and characterization of Neoscytalidium and Pseudofusicoccum species associated with tropical fruit plants in northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The Botryosphaeriaceae family is one of the most important groups of plant pathogenic fungi associated with tropical woody species such as Anacardium occidentale (cashew) and Mangifera indica (mango), which are fruiting species with broad distributions and high economic importance in north-eastern Brazil. This study was designed to characterize species of this family associated with cashew, mango and Psidium guajava (guava) that cause dieback and stem and branch cankers. Characterization comprised phylogenetic, morphological, physiological and pathogenic features. The phylogenetic study combined sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the rDNA and partial elongation factor 1-α (EF1-α) regions of DNA. Measurements of fungal conidia and colony growth on different culture media and at different temperatures were conducted. Pathogenicity tests were also performed through inoculation of different host species. By combining the sequences of the referenced genes, it was possible to identify the following Botryosphaeriaceae species: Neofusicoccum kwambonambiense, Neoscytalidium hyalinum and Pseudofusicoccum stromaticum as the first report in cashew, Neoscytalidium hyalinum in mango and Neofusicoccum brasiliense as the first report in guava. Examination of N. brasiliense revealed conidia, providing the first morphological description of the species. Neofusicoccum kwambonambiense did not sporulate, but the other isolates produced conidia with dimensions comparable to those described in the literature. All isolates were virulent to mango fruits and young cashew and “caja-umbu” plants, causing necrotic lesions and gum exudation by the hosts. The isolates of Neofusicoccum were the most aggressive in the inoculated hosts.

Pest categorisation of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum

“…(Güney et al., 2021 ), Malus spp. (Ören et al., 2021 ; Sha et al., 2022 ), Mangifera indica (Ray et al., 2010 ; Sakalidis et al., 2011 ; Ismail et al., 2013 ; Coutinho et al., 2018 ), Melissa officinalis (Özer et al., 2022), Morus spp. (Oksal, 2022 ), Olea europaea (Güney et al., 2022b ), Origanum onites (Alkan et al., 2022 ), Pinus spp.…”

“… Fabaceae Acacias Chandra ( 1974 ) Albizia lebbeck Fabaceae Siris tree Elshafie and Ba‐Omar ( 2002 ) Agave sp. Asparagaceae Kranz ( 1963 ) Agave sisalana Asparagaceae Sisal Xie et al ( 2021 ) Anacardium occidentale Anacardiaceae Cashew Coutinho et al ( 2018 ) Ananas comosus Bromeliaceae Pineapple Kuruppu et al ( 2021 ) Arachnis sp. Orchidaceae Scorpion orchid Williams and Liu ( 1976 ) Araucaria sp.…”

“… Iridaceae Gladiolus French ( 1989 ) Grevillea agrifolia Proteaceae Blue grevillea Pavlic et al ( 2008 ) Hevea brasiliensis Euphorbiaceae Rubber tree Jayasinghe and Silva ( 1994 ) Hymenocallis littoralis Amarillidaceae White spider lily Nurul Nadiah et al ( 2017 ) Ipomoea batatas Convovulaceae Sweet potato Johnston ( 1960 ); de Mello et al ( 2019 , 2021 ) Jatropha curcas Euphorbiaceae Physic nut Machado et al ( 2012 ); Coutinho et al ( 2018 ) Juglans californica Juglandaceae California black walnut French ( 1987 ) Juglans regia Juglandaceae Walnut Sommer ( 1955 ); Farr et al ( 2005 ); Chen et al ( 2013 ); Derviş et al ( 2019b ) …”

Morpho-cultural, molecular characterization and identification of the pathogen of the burning of leaf and cashew fruit

“…In Brazil, the fungus Neofusicoccum sp. was isolated in cashew crop with symptoms of necrosis and death of leaves over time (Cardoso et al, 2018;Coutinho et al, 2018), (b) Grayish white isolates (Figure 3 Top, B) at the beginning with small rings and orange dots, which with age became creamy and orange. These isolates had a smooth appearance, moderate density.…”

“…In cashew crop in Brazil there are records of isolation of the species Neofusicoccum batangarum, Neofusicoccum kwambonambiense, Neofusicoccum sp., associated with symptoms of "dieback" (progressive death or death by definhation), cancer in stems and necrosis in the leaves of cashew plants (Cardoso et al, 2018;Coutinho et al, 2018), as well as associated with symptoms of leaf burning and cashew fruit (Majune et al, 2019).…”