Pathogenicity and identification of Lasiodiplodia theobromae causing Jatropha curcas stem canker in Yunnan, China.

In 2018, a deadly stem canker outbreak on Jatropha curcas was detected in Yunnan Province, China. A fungus isolated from the diseased stems was identified as Lasiodiplodia theobromae based on the morphology and analysis of ITS, EF1α, RPB2, and TUB2 nucleotide sequences. It caused the same cankers after inoculation and was re-isolated from the tissue. This is the first report of J. curcas stem canker caused by L. theobromae in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]