Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Lasiodiplodia brasiliense causing dieback and rot fruit of jackfruit tree in Brazil

The jackfruit tree ( Artocarpus heterophyllus ) is a tropical species of significant importance, widely distributed in various geographical regions of Brazil, where its fruits, known as jackfruit, are consumed fresh. Between 2019 and 2023, in three distinct geographical regions of Brazil, a 100% incidence of black rot was observed in jackfruit fruits. Additionally, symptoms of dieback were identified in jackfruit trees in these regions. Faced with this issue, the present study aims to identify the etiological agents associated with these two symptoms, employing morphological characterization, nucleotide sequencing, and inoculations in fruits and seedlings. Through sequencing of the ITS, TEF , and TUB2 regions, the isolates were grouped with references of Lasiodiplodia theobromae and L. brasiliense . The inoculated fungi were reisolated, maintaining the same morphological characteristics. This study constitutes the first report of L. theobromae and L. brasiliense as causative agents of fruit rot and dieback in jackfruit in Brazil.