Morphological characterization, molecular identification, and phylogenetic analysis of Lasiodiplodia theobromae associated with CCN-51 cacao plants in Ecuador

José Humberto Vera-Rodríguez; Josue Manuel Duarte-Cuesta; Mónica del Rocío Villamar-Aveiga; Jaime David Sevilla-Carrasco; Jhonny Darwin Ortiz-Mata; Cesar Stalin Gavin-Moyano; Génesis Bucaram-Lara; Leonel Rolando Lucas-Vidal

doi:10.17268/sci.agropecu.2025.039

Autores/as

José Humberto Vera-Rodríguez Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Santa Elena, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3027-059X
Josue Manuel Duarte-Cuesta Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Facultad Ciencias e Ingeniería, Milagro, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3894-5582
Mónica del Rocío Villamar-Aveiga Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Facultad Ciencias e Ingeniería, Milagro, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3454-8536
Jaime David Sevilla-Carrasco Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Facultad Ciencias e Ingeniería, Milagro, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5257-299X
Jhonny Darwin Ortiz-Mata Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Facultad Ciencias e Ingeniería, Milagro, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0466-4093
Cesar Stalin Gavin-Moyano Universidad Agraria del Ecuador, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Milagro, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3083-7066
Génesis Bucaram-Lara Universidad Agraria del Ecuador, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Milagro, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2297-5878
Leonel Rolando Lucas-Vidal Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2286-9407

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17268/sci.agropecu.2025.039

Palabras clave:

Disease, species, ITS region, molecular identification, necrosis, rot

Resumen

Necrotrophic fungi are pathogens that cause tissue death in plants, which negatively impacts their growth and productivity. This study focused on identifying the presence of Lasiodiplodia theobromae in CCN-51 cacao plants in the Simón Bolívar canton in Ecuador. We sampled cacao pods exhibiting necrotic lesions and obtained fungal isolates for morphological and molecular characterization. Techniques, such as culturing on selective media, microscopy, and DNA sequencing were used to confirm the fungal identity. We compared our results with international databases and assessed the genetic variability of the isolates. Morphological characterization placed the fungal isolates within the family Botryosphaeriaceae, and molecular analysis using ITS and EF1-α regions confirmed the species as Lasiodiplodia theobromae, with 100% DNA quality for amplicon analysis and 100% sequence similarity in GenBank. We constructed phylogenetic trees using maximum likelihood methods, which revealed high genetic similarity and recent divergence among sequences despite their varied geographic origins. The fungal isolates specifically confirmed the presence of L. theobromae as the causal agent of necrotic lesions in CCN-51 cacao pods from Simón Bolívar. These findings underscore the importance of studying necrotrophic fungi in cacao plants to inform control strategies, improve crop resistance, and support sustainable production, essential to the global cacao trade.

Citas

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