Botryosphaeriaceae Species Associated With Cankers and Dieback Symptoms of Acacia mangium and Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis in Venezuela.

Several species in the Botryosphaeriaceae family cause wood stain, cankers, and dieback of trunks and branches in a wide range of forest tree species. The aim of this study was to characterize the botryosphaeriaceous fungi associated with decline symptoms observed in Acacia mangium and Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis, two economically important forest tree species grown in commercial plantations in Venezuela.

First Report of Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae Causing Trunk Cankers in Acacia mangium in Venezuela.

In May 2010, canker and wood stain symptoms in trunks and stems of 125 Acacia mangium were observed during a survey conducted in the Uverito plantations, Monagas State, Venezuela. Cankers were 20 to 65 cm long and were brownish on the margins and dark brown in the center. Many of the cankers had swollen margins and in some cases a black exudate could be seen leaking from the most severe cankers.

Three new Lasiodiplodia spp. from the tropics, recognized based on DNA sequence comparisons and morphology.

Botryosphaeria rhodina (anamorph Lasiodiplodia theobromae) is a common endophyte and opportunistic pathogen on more than 500 tree species in the tropics and subtropics. During routine disease surveys of plantations in Australia and Venezuela several isolates differing from L. theobromae were identified and subsequently characterized based upon morphology and ITS and EF1-alpha nucleotide sequences.

Two new Fusicoccum species from Acacia and Eucalyptus in Venezuela, based on morphology and DNA sequence data.

Botryosphaeria spp. are common endophytes of woody plants, and they also include some serious pathogens of Eucalyptus and Acacia species. Numerous anamorphs have been associated with Botryosphaeria, of which the species Fusicoccum are amongst the most common.