Canker Disease of Parica (Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum) in Para State, Brazil

Abstract

Canker have been found in field plantings of parica examined in Dom Eliseu county, Para State,
Brazil. Several fungal species were associated with the field canker, most notably Lasiodiplodia theobromae
and Pestalotiopsis sp. Isolated cultures of these fungi together with other often associated fungi (including
Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria, basidiomycetes) were tested for pathogenicity on young parica plants, with
approximately one meter height. Only L. theobromae produced canker under the conditions tested when discs
of culture were applied using wound inoculation techniques and high humidity, which closely mimicked the field
symptoms. Pestalotiopsis sp. proved much less damaging compared to L. theobromae. The acknowledgment of
L. theobromae as the causal agent of parica canker came after the reisolations of the fungus from symptomatic
tissue of inoculated plants, concluding the verification of Koch´s Postulates. This is the first report of this
pathogen in paricá.