First Report of Fruit Rot Caused by Diaporthe masirevicii on Physalis peruviana in Brazil

Abstract

Physalis (Physalis peruviana L., Solanaceae) is a perennial bushy plant native to the Andes and grown throughout the world predominantly in Colombia and South Africa. The fruit have high nutritional and functional potential (Puente et al. 2011). Physalis fruit rot was observed in summer of 2013 on plants under field conditions in Capao do Leao, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil (31°48'26.6S 52°30'31.0W). The first symptoms observed on the fruit included water-soaked lesions followed by development of black dots (pycnidia), which over time covered the entire fruit surface causing a blackened appearance. Black pycnidia measuring 94.58 – 188.44 × 150.07 – 214.64 μm produced hyaline spores of both alpha conidia hyaline, cylindrical, rounded at the ends, containing one septum, and beta conidia, flexuous to hamate, hyaline, measuring 1.8 – 3.17 × 6.7 – 10.46 μm and 0.73 – 1.43 × 13.7 – 18.7 μm, respectively. On potato dextrose agar (PDA) incubated in photoperiod of 12 hours at 25±1°C colonies were grayish, cove...