Pathogenicity of Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Fusarium solani on mango.
Khanzada M. A., Lodhi A. M., Saleem Shahzad
Author Affiliation: Pest & Disease Research Lab (PDRL), Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi-75270, Pakistan.
Pakistan Journal of Botany 36 : 181-189
Abstract : Mango plantations in various areas in Sindh (Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Nawabshah, Nausheroferoz and Karachi), Pakistan, were found to suffer from a decline disease resulting in the drying of branches from the tip accompanied by a heavy exudation of yellowish-brown gum from the stems and branches, and browning of vascular tissues. Under severe conditions, the disease resulted in the death of the tree. The symptoms were more severe in areas under water stress. Eleven fungi were isolated from roots, stems and shoots of infected plants. Of these, L. theobromae was the most abundant, followed by F. solani. The other fungi were isolated occasionally with very low frequencies. Healthy plants inoculated with L. theobromae alone or in combination with F. solani showed typical symptoms of the disease, whereas no such symptoms were observed when F. solani was inoculated alone. The severity of the symptoms was the same whether L. theobromae was inoculated alone or in combination with F. solani, indicating that the decline disease was caused by L. theobromae and that F. solani did not have a significant effect on disease development.