First report of Lasiodiplodia theobromae causing leaf spot on Flacourtia montana, a wild edible fruit tree of Western Ghats, India.

Flacourtia montana J. Graham wild edible fruit tree, endemic to the Western Ghats, India was found infected with leaf spot disease. Based on morphological characteristics, molecular analyses (ITS and LSU) and pathogenicity, the pathogen was identified as Lasiodiplodia theobromae (Pat.) Griffon & Maubl. (Botryosphaeriaceae). This is the first report of L. theobromae causing leaf spots on F. montana from Western Ghats, India. Flacourtia montana J. Graham (Salicaceae), is a wild edible fruit tree, endemic to Western Ghats, India, commonly known as Mountain Sweet Thorn and distributed in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests at an altitude upto 1000 m asl. It is a potential fruit-bearing tree as the fruits are rich in reducing and non-reducing sugars, proteins, essential micro and macronutrients (Mundaragi et al., 2015, 2017). The fruits were good source of natural antioxidants, so can be used as a functional food and for pharmaceutical applications (Chand and Azeez, 2021). The commercially viable wine prepared from the fruit contains major phenolic acids and had free radical scavenging property (Mundaragi et al., 2019). Traditional practitioners residing in the Kattunaikka tribe in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, use the bark decoction for liver disorders (Ratheesh et al., 2011). The leaves possess hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities (Joshy et al., 2016). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]