First report of post-harvest fruit rot on watermelon caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae in Northern Thailand

Abstract

Fruit rot is one of the most important diseases affecting watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). This disease has been associated with substantial economic losses. In May 2022, fruit rot on watermelons was found during the post-harvest storage phase in local markets located in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The causal fungi were isolated from lesions and identified as Lasiodiplodia theobromae based on morphological characteristics and a phylogenetic analysis of combined sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of ribosomal DNA, β-tubulin (tub), RNA polymerase II subunit (rpb2), and the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1-α) genes. Subsequently, pathogenicity tests were conducted and the results showed that the isolated fungi caused symptoms of fruit rot in inoculated fruit specimens. This result was consistent with symptoms that were observed in local markets. This is the first report of post-harvest fruit rot on watermelons caused by L. theobromae in Thailand.