SPECIES OF BOTRYOSPHAERIACEAE ASSOCIATED WITH ROT IN SERIGUELA

The peduncular rot is one of the main factors that compromise the commercialization of the seriguela. This disease is commonly associated with Lasiodiplodia theobromae, however, studies report other species of Botryosphaeriaceae associated with this symptom in other fruits. The objective of this research was to identify Botryosphaeriaceae species associated with fruit rot in seriguela in the states of Pernambuco and Ceará. Seriguelas were collected in productive backyards and small rural properties in municipalities of Ceará and in the state of Pernambuco. The fruits were superficially disinfected and placed in a humid chamber under laboratory conditions until the appearance of rot symptoms. The fruits with symptoms were submitted to the isolation process. Then, the pathogenicity test of the fungal isolates was carried out, they were evaluated in mature seriguela fruits and without disease symptoms. The fruits were washed in running water, superficially disinfected in 1.5% NaClO solution for 1 minute and washed with sterilized distilled water. After drying, a disc of mycelium (3 mm in diameter) of each isolate was removed from the colony margin with 5 days of growth in PDA and transferred to the fruit surface. For the control, discs of BDA not colonized by the fungus were used. The pathogenic isolates were purified and subjected to extraction and amplification of genomic DNA from the ITS region and the EF1-α and TUB genes. The sequences of the 79 representative isolates were compared with reference sequences from fungal species of the Botryosphaeriaceae family. The isolates were grouped into clades with species of different genera of Botryosphaeriaceae. Most of the isolates were grouped with the species of the genus Lasiodiplodia and L. iraniensis is the species of Botryosphaeriaceae most frequently associated with peduncular rot of seriguela fruits in the states of Permanbuco and Ceará.