Malformation disease in Tabebuia rosea (Rosy Trumpet) caused by Fusarium pseudocircinatum in Mexico

Authors: MONTOYA-MARTINEZ, AMELIA - Universidad Michoacana De San Nicolas De Hidalgo; O Donnell, Kerry; Busman, Mark; Vaughan, Martha; McCormick, Susan; SANTILLAN-MENDOZA, RICARDO - Universidad Michoacana De San Nicolas De Hidalgo; PINEDA-VACA, DANIELA - Universidad Michoacana De San Nicolas De Hidalgo; FERNANDEZ-PAVIA, SYLVIA - Universidad Michoacana De San Nicolas De Hidalgo; PLOETZ, RANDY - University Of Florida; BENITEZ-MALVIDO, JULIETA - Universidad Nacional Autonoma De Mexico; MONTERO-CASTRO, JUAN - Universidad Michoacana De San Nicolas De Hidalgo; RODRIGUEZ-ALVARADO, GERARDO - Universidad Michoacana De San Nicolas De Hidalgo

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/22/2021
Publication Date: 11/9/2021
Citation: Montoya-Martinez, A.C., O'Donnell, K., Busman, M., Vaughan, M.M., McCormick, S.P., Santillan-Mendoza, R., Pineda-Vaca, D., Fernandez-Pavia, S.P., Ploetz, R.C., Benitez-Malvido, J., Montero-Castro, J.C., Rodriguez-Alvarado, G. 2021. Malformation disease in Tabebuia rosea (Rosy Trumpet) caused by Fusarium pseudocircinatum in Mexico. Plant Disease. 105(10):2822-2829. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-09-20-1942-RE.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-09-20-1942-RE

Interpretive Summary: During pathogen surveys of economically important trees in the states of Guerrero and Michoacán in the central western region of Mexico, disease symptoms were discovered on mango, big-leaf mahogany, cooperwood, and rosy trumpet trees. The objectives of this research were to describe this disease and determine its cause. A total of 70 Fusarium isolates recovered from symptomatic big-leaf mahogany, cooperwood, rosy trumpet, and mango trees were identified by molecular data as either F. pseudocircinatum or F. mexicanum. Pathogenicity tests showed that isolates of these two Fusarium species induced disease symptoms on rosy trumpet and big-leaf mahogany seedlings. This is the first report of the novel disease of cooperwood and rosy trumpet in Mexico. In addition, 59 Fusarium isolates obtained from four common weeds collected in mango orchards were identified using DNA sequence data as several genetically distinct Fusarium pathogens, including F. mexicanum and F. pseudocircinatum. These findings suggest that weeds harbor fusaria that can cause diseases of several economically important tree species in Mexico. Results of this study will be of interest to plant pathologists, foresters, and plant breeders who are focused on developing disease control measures and disease resistant cultivars.

Technical Abstract: Tabebuia rosea (rosy trumpet) is an economically important neotropical tree in Mexico that is highly valued for the quality of its wood, which is used for furniture, crafts, and packing, and for its use as an ornamental and shade tree in parks and gardens. During surveys conducted in the lower Balsas River Basin region in the states of Guerrero and Michoacán, symptoms of floral malformation were detected in T. rosea trees. The main objectives of this study were to describe this new disease, to determine its causal agent, and to identify it using DNA sequence data. A second set of objectives was to analyze the phylogenetic relationship of the causal agent to Fusarium spp. associated with Swietenia macrophylla trees with malformation surveyed in the same region and to compare mycotoxin production and the mating type idiomorphs of fusaria recovered from T. rosea and S. macrophylla. Tabebuia rosea showed malformed inflorescences with multiple tightly curled shoots and shortened internodes. A total of 31 Fusarium isolates recovered from symptomatic T. rosea (n = 20) and S. macrophylla (n = 11) trees were identified by molecular analysis as Fusarium pseudocircinatum. Pathogenicity tests showed that isolates of F. pseudocircinatum recovered from T. rosea induced malformation in inoculated T. rosea seedlings. Eighteen F. pseudocircinatum isolates were tested for their ability to produce mycotoxins and other secondary metabolites. Moniliformin, fusaric acid, bikaverin, beauvericin, aurofusarin. and 8-O-methylbostrycoidin were produced by at least one strain of the 18 isolates tested. A multiplex PCR assay for mating type idiomorph revealed that 22 F. pseudocircinatum isolates were MAT1-1 and that 9 were MAT1-2. Here, we report a new disease of T. rosea in Mexico caused by F. pseudocircinatum.