LAUSR

Lemon trees located in the Pica oasis, Tarapaca Region of Chile, showing trunk canker, branch dieback, vascular streaks and gummy orange-brown exudation were observed. Lasiodiplodia theobromae was isolated and morphological and molecularly identified, showing 99% similarity to L. theobromae KU997392 reference for ITS region from South Africa, 99% similarity to KU997566 for β-tubulin from South Africa and 99% similarity to KU507452 for EF1- α gene, from Peru. Pathogenicity test was performed using three isolates on 2-years-old Citrus limon symptomless plants. Uninoculated plants were left as controls. After four months, cankered necrotic lesions on the cortex, vascular streaks and orange-brown gummy exudation were observed on branches of inoculated plants. Non-inoculated branches remained asymptomatic. Lasiodiplodia theobromae was re-isolated from 100% of the inoculated plants, completing Koch´s postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of L. theobromae causing Bot Gummosis of Citrus limon in ...