Citrus root rot is considered a disease of great importance to citriculture in Brazil and around the world. The etiology of this disease comprises a complex of Phytophthora species. Although citrus root rot is important, little is known about it in the producing regions of Paraná State, Brazil. Therefore, this study aimed to identify Phytophthora species associated with root rot in citrus orchards in Paraná. In the North and Northwest regions of this state and in Vale do Ribeira, samples were collected from the roots of plants showing symptoms of citrus root rot, as well as from the rhizosphere soil. In the laboratory, employing pear cv. D'anjou as bait and the culture medium potato-dextrose-agar, 21 isolates of Phytophthora spp. were obtained. All isolates infected seedlings of Rangpur lime, reproducing the symptoms of root rot and presenting mycelial growth at 8 ºC and 36 ºC, except for the isolate PR20 at 36 ºC. In vitro, these isolates were heterothallic, and 20 of them were compatible with the standard type A2, while one of them was compatible with the standard type A1. Twenty isolates formed papillate persistent sporangia of 25.5 - 62.0 µm length (C) and 27.9 - 49.6 µm width (L); the C/L ratio was 1.38:1. One isolate (PR20) had sporangia of 40.3 - 55.8 µm length and 27.9 - 37.2 width, forming papillale or bipapillate persistent sporangia of distorted forms and not forming chlamydospores. The optimum temperature for the growth of this isolate was between 20 and 28ºC, while for the remaining isolates it was from 24 to 32ºC; the latter had abundant production of globose chlamydospores with diameter ranging from 21.7 to 43.4 µm. According to the presented morphophysiological characteristics, of the 21 analyzed isolates, 20 belonged to the species P. nicotianae and one to the species P. citrophthora. Sequence analysis of genes of the rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region, using the test Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP), confirmed P. nicotianae and P. citrophthora as the two Phytophthora species associated with root rot in citrus orchards in the state of Paraná.
Phytophthora nicotianae; Phytophthora citrophthora; etiology; Citrus spp
