210 - Microbiología Ambiental, Agrícola y del Suelo

EXPLORATORY STUDY OF POTENTIAL PHYTOPATHOGENS IN Mangifera indica IN THE CITY OF SAN LORENZO, PARAGUAY

Morel Escobar, Monica Monserrath¹ - Arrúa Alvarenga, Andrea Alejandra² -Quintana, Silverio Andrés¹

1) Universidad Nacional de Asunción, FACEN -San Lorenzo-Paraguay
2) Universidad Nacional de Asunción, CEMIT-San Lorenzo-Paraguay
Contacto: Morel.m.monica@gmail.com

In Paraguay, the mango (Mangifera indica) is a significant fruit in local culture, with trees commonly found in households and frequently consumed during ripening. In 2022, reports emerged of premature deterioration in the fruits, raising questions about the potential phytopathogens affecting mangoes. Given the lack of records on these pathogens, identifying them became essential. This study focused on the city of San Lorenzo, where 15 samples of fruits and inflorescences showing signs of disease were collected from three trees. Portions of the pericarp and mesocarp of each fruit, as well as sections of the flowers, were disinfected using sodium hypochlorite, followed by 70% alcohol, and sterile water, with each step lasting 30 seconds. The samples were inoculated on Potato Dextrose Agar, Malachite Green Agar, and Nutrient Agar, and incubated at 25°C for 7 days. The presence of fungi was recorded, and identification was performed at the genus level based on conidial and conidiophore morphology using optical microscopy. The inflorescences were found to contain Macrophomina spp., Alternaria spp., Pestalotiopsis spp., Fusarium spp. and Trichoderma spp.; the mesocarp contained Alternaria spp., Aspergillus spp., Rhizopus spp., Cladosporium spp., Pestalotiopsis spp. and Fusarium spp.; and the endocarp primarily contained sterile mycelium, with smaller amounts of Aspergillus spp., Pestalotiopsis spp. and Cladosporium spp. These results represent a crucial initial step towards the identification and subsequent characterization of the phytopathogens affecting Mangifera indica in the city of San Lorenzo.

Palabras clave: Fungal identification- Mango diseases- Pathogen isolation