First report of Nodulosporium (Xylariaceae) in Theobroma cacao L. in Chiapas, Mexico and pathogenicity tests

Abstract

Nodulosporium is a widely distributed fungus found in tropical areas and has been reported as a phytopathogen causing descending death, rot and resinosis, it is also considered as a potential agent of biological control of other fungi and oomycetes. The teleomorphic state is solitary and in clusters, and has been reported as an endophyte, saprophyte or weak phytopathogen. The creole cacao variety Theobroma cacao is of great ecological, economic and cultural relevance in the state of Chiapas; however, it presents high susceptibility to diseases unlike other important varieties, affecting quality and production. In Villa de Comaltitlan Chiapas, cacao fruits with typical characteristics of rot symptoms were observed. The objective was to identify the fungi associated with sick cocoa fruits with symptoms of rot. The fungi Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Rhizopus sp., Trichoderma sp., and Nodulosporium sp. were identified morphologically. The presence of Nodulosporium sp. is reported for the first time, in cacao fruits with rot symptoms of Villa de Comaltitlan, Chiapas, Mexico. The morphological and morphometric characteristics of Nodulosporium sp. and Hypoxylon sp., and its molecular identification. The pathogenicity of Nodulosporium sp. was confirmed in foliage of the crop causing chlorosis and dehydration of the leaf, and it was recovered in the form of pycnidia and mycelium with conidia, corresponding to its teleomorph, identified as Hypoxylon morphologically and molecularly with the oligonucleotides ITS4-ITS5.