Lasiodiplodia species associated with dieback disease of mango (Mangifera indica) in Egypt

Lasiodiplodia theobromae is a plurivorous pathogen of tropical and subtropical woody and fruit trees. In 2010, an investigation of mango plantations in Egypt resulted in the isolation of 26 Lasiodiplodia isolates that, based on previous reports from literature, were tentatively identified as L. theobromae. The aim of this study was to clarify the taxonomy of these isolates based on morphology and DNA sequence data (ITS and TEF1-α). In addition to L. theobromae, a new species, namely L. egyptiacae, was identified. Furthermore, L. pseudotheobromae is also newly recorded on mango in Egypt. Pathogenicity tests with all recognised species showed that they are able to cause dieback disease symptoms on mango seedlings.