FUNGI ASSOCIATED TO STEM-END ROT AND DIEBACK OF MANGO (Mangifera indica L.)

Stem-end rot of fruits and dieback of branches in mango (Mangifera indica L.) are associated with fungi of the family Botryosphaeriaceae. The objectives of the present study were to identify morphologically and phylogenetically different strains of fungi isolated from fruits with stem-end rot and branches with dieback of the cultivars Ataulfo, Kent and Tommy Atkins, of five producing states of Mexico, and to determine their association with both diseases. The samples were collected between March of 2010 and June of 2011. The fungi associated with stem-end rot corresponded to Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Neofusicoccum parvum, and Neofusicoccum sp. was also detected; the fungi associated with dieback of branches corresponded to L. pseudotheobromae and N. parvum. The possible association of stem-end rot with dieback was identified, given that the associated fungi were pathogenic when inoculated in the stems of fruits of Ataulfo, Kent and Tommy Atkins. This would be the first study that identifies stem-end rot or dieback in branches of mango in Mexico from L. pseudotheobromae, L. theobromae and N parvum.