Weeds Harbor Species that Cause Malformation Disease of Economically Important Trees in Western Mexico.

Mango malformation disease (MMD) caused by spp. is an important limiting factor in most production areas worldwide. and have been reported as causing MMD in Mexico. These two pathogens also cause a similar disease in (big-leaf mahogany malformation disease) in central western Mexico, and was recently reported as causing malformation disease in (rosy trumpet) in the same region. These studies suggest that additional plant species, including weeds, might be hosts of these pathogens. The role that weed hosts might have in the disease cycle is unknown. The objectives of this work were to recover isolates from understory vegetation in mango orchards with MMD, identify the isolates through DNA sequence data, and determine whether is capable of inducing disease in the weedy legume (oneleaf senna). Additional objectives in this work were to compare isolates recovered from weeds and mango trees in the same orchards by characterizing their phylogenetic relationships, assessing in vitro production of mycotoxins, and identifying their mating type idiomorph. A total of 59 isolates from five species complexes were recovered from apical and lateral buds from four weed species. Two of the species within the species complex are known to cause MMD in Mexico. Trichothecene production was detected in five isolates, including and in the species complex and in the species complex. Both mating types were present among mango and weed isolates. This is the first report of herbaceous hosts harboring species that cause mango malformation in Mexico. The information provided should prove valuable for further study of the epidemiological role of weeds in MMD and help manage the disease.