Mango decline: research in Florida on an apparently widespread disease complex.
Ploetz R. C., Benscher D., Vázquez A., Colls A., Nagal J., Schaffer B.
Author Affiliation: University of Florida, IFAS, Tropical Research & Education Center, 18905 SW 280th Street, Homestead, FL 33031-3314, USA.
: 547-557
Abstract : Decline disorders are recognized in virtually all mango-producing regions of the world. Although fungi are the causal agents in many locations, abiotic stress, i.e., host nutritional deficiencies, are thought to be important. The aetiology of mango decline in Florida, USA, was investigated. During field surveys, the most common internal colonists of symptomatic tissues were: Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium sp., Colletotrichum gloeosporioides [Glomerella cingulata], Dothiorella dominicana, Fusarium spp., Lasiodiplodia theobromae [Botryodiplodia theobromae], Penicillium sp., Pestalotiopsis sp. and Phomopsis spp. The relative abundance of the isolated species varied according to sample source and date of recovery. On grafted plants of cv. Keitt, A. alternata, G. cingulata, D. dominicana, B. theobromae and 2 species of Phomopsis caused all or some of the following decline symptoms: bud necrosis, tip dieback, gummosis and vascular discoloration. In general, symptoms caused by the different fungi could not be distinguished. The data suggested that mango decline in Florida is a disease complex caused by several different fungi.