Abstract
Red-fleshed dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) is commonly cultivated in Thailand, especially in southern Thailand, where the weather favors plant growth and development. In 2021, stem canker of H. polyrhizus was observed in a dragon fruit plantation field in Phatthalung Province, southern Thailand. Small, orange circular spots developed on the stem of H. polyrhizus, which later became gray, and the lesion expanded with a mass of conidia. Scytalidium-like fungus was isolated from infected tissues. Based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), nuclear large subunit (LSU) and β-tubulin (tub) sequences of fungal isolates, the fungus was identified as Neoscytalidium dimidiatum. Pathogenicity tests revealed that this isolate caused stem canker on the stem of H. polyrhizus, similar to that observed in the field. Knowledge of the diagnosis of plant diseases is an important step for managing plant diseases and therefore, this finding provides basic information for the development of appropriate strategies to manage stem canker disease on H. polyrhizus plants.
Highlights
Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) is native to Latin America’s tropical and subtropical forest regions, including North, Central, and South America
Based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit (LSU), and tub sequences in this study, the fungal pathogen causing stem canker on H. polyrhizus was identified as N. dimidiatum
Our results are in agreement with previous research; the N. dimidiatum PSU-SC02 colony on potato dextrose agar (PDA) reached a diameter of 9 cm in 3 days
Summary
Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) is native to Latin America’s tropical and subtropical forest regions, including North, Central, and South America. Due to increased planting areas and high demand, dragon fruit in many crops attract disease and pests. Several diseases have been reported to negatively affect dragon fruit plantations and production [4]. Disease caused by fungi is a major problem for dragon fruit plantations worldwide [3,5]. The fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was found to cause anthracnose on dragon fruit in Malaysia [3]. Have been reported to cause canker and bipolaris black spot, respectively, on dragon fruit in Vietnam [5]. The fungus Gilbertella persicaria was recently reported to cause flower rot on red-fleshed dragon fruit in Thailand [6]
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