ABSTRACT
Species of the Botryosphaeriaceae are important pathogens in several woody and non-woody plants, causing different types of symptoms. Species of this family are usually regarded as weak pathogens, only causing diseases when plants are under some type of stress such as drought, hot or cold weather, poor nutrition and damage caused by other pathogens or pests. However, little is known about the occurrence and diversity of Botryosphaeriaceae species in native plants of the biome Caatinga, located in the Brazilian Semi-Arid Region, and about the presence of endophytic fungi in these species; even less is known about their importance as pathogens. The aim of the present study was to assess the pathogenicity of 74 isolates representing the species Botyosphaeria mamane, Pseudofusicoccum adansoniae, P. stromaticum, the complex Neofusicoccum parvum/ribis, Lasiodiplodia gonubiensis and L.theobromae, identified for the first time as endophytic in plants typical of the biome Caatinga. Pathogenicity tests conducted in mango fruits and branches of adult plants of Spondias sp. revealed that all Botryosphaeriaceous species of this study were pathogenic, and L. theobromae and the complex N.parvum/ribis were the most aggressive ones. This is the first report of such endophytic fungi in plants of the biome Caatinga in Ceará State, as well as the confirmation that these species can act as a source of inoculum for commercial fruit species of the Brazilian Semi-Arid Region.
Keywords
Caatinga; aggressiveness; diversity; Mangifera indica
