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Lasiodiplodia theobromae

Lasiodiplodia theobromae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Ascomycota
Class: Dothideomycetes
Subclass: Incertae sedis
Order: Botryosphaeriales
Family: Botryosphaeriaceae
Genus: Lasiodiplodia
Species: L. theobromae
Binomial name
Lasiodiplodia theobromae
Synonyms

Botryodiplodia ananassae
Botryodiplodia elasticae
Botryodiplodia theobromae
Botryodiplodia tubericola
Chaetodiplodia grisea
Diplodia ananassae
Diplodia theobromae
Diplodia tubericola
Lasiodiplodia nigra
Lasiodiplodia triflorae
Lasiodiplodia tubericola
Lasiodiplodiella triflorae
Macrophoma vestita


Botryodiplodia ananassae
Botryodiplodia elasticae
Botryodiplodia theobromae
Botryodiplodia tubericola
Chaetodiplodia grisea
Diplodia ananassae
Diplodia theobromae
Diplodia tubericola
Lasiodiplodia nigra
Lasiodiplodia triflorae
Lasiodiplodia tubericola
Lasiodiplodiella triflorae
Macrophoma vestita

Lasiodiplodia theobromae is a plant pathogen with a very wide host range. It causes rotting and dieback in most species it infects. It is a common post harvest fungus disease of citrus known as stem-end rot. It is a cause of bot canker of grapevine. It also infects Caesalpinia sappan, a species of flowering tree also known as Sappanwood.

On rare occasions it has been found to cause fungal keratitis, lesions on nail and subcutaneous tissue.

It has been implicated in the widespread mortality of Baobab (Adansonia digitata) trees in Southern Africa. A preliminary study found the deaths to have a complex set of causes requiring detailed research.

Lasiodiplodia theobromae is a plant pathogen of the phylum ascomycota. This particular pathogen causes diseases such as dieback, blights, and root rot in a variety of different hosts in tropical and subtropical regions. These include guava, coconut, and grapevine. Botryosphaeria dieback, which is formerly known as bot canker, is characterised by a range of symptoms that affect grapevine in particular. These symptoms affect different areas on the plant and can be used to diagnose this disease along with other factors. In the trunk and cordon of the plant symptoms include cankers coming out of the wounds, wedge shaped lesions when cut in cross sections and dieback. Dieback is characterized as a “‘dead arm’ and a loss of spur positions.More symptoms include stunted shoots in the spring, delay or lack of growth in the spur positions of the bud burst, bleached canes and necrotic buds. Bud necrosis, bud failure, and the dieback of arms are all a result of the necrosis of the hosts vascular system.

The fungus over-winters as pycnidia on the outside of diseased wood. The pycnidia produces and releases two-celled, dark brown, striated conidia. The conidia are then dispersed by wind and rain splash, spreading the fungi to other vines, and from one part of the vine to another. Disease develops when conidia land on freshly cut or damaged wood. The conidia germinate the tissue of the wood and start causing damage to the vascular system. Cankers begin to form around the initial infection point and eventually complete damage of the vascular system causes necrosis and dieback of the wood. In some instances, pseudothecia form on the outside of cankers and produce ascospores which are then dispersed like conidia and infect surrounding wounds.


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Wikipedia

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