New mango pathogen in South Africa
At the 29th Congress of the South African Society for Plant Pathology Dothiorella dominicana has been reported to be an important new pathogen of Mangifera indica.
The pathogen was associated with blossom blight, branch dieback, fruit stem-end rot and fruit rot. The first symptoms of flower infection were a slight wilt which was followed by a rapid drying out and a partial or complete death of the inflorescence. The pathogen may continue to grow into the wood behind the flower and cause branch die-back. The fungus can also cause stem-end rot and was also isolated from post-harvest anthracnose lesions.
The author of that report has notified the EPPO secretariat that this fungus represents a very serious pathogen and that a fully illustrated scientific publication is currently in print.
Sources
Darvas, J.M. (1991) Dothiorella dominicana, a new mango pathogen in South Africa.
Phytophylactica 23, p. 103.
Darvas, J.M., personal communication
(1991-09)