Cenostigma tocantinum, a new host of Colletotrichum siamense

Abstract

Cenostigma tocantinum Ducke (Fabaceae), popularly known as "pau-pretinho," is a tropical tree native to the Amazon region, also found in the biomes Cerrado and Mata Atlantica in Brazil. This tree species is commonly found in different Amazonian landscapes, including primary forests, highland and seasonally flooded forests (Warwick & Lewis, 2009). In the northern region of Brazil, Ce. tocantinum is used for reforestation of degraded areas and urban afforestation projects, due to its rapid growth, straight trunk and leafy crown (Garcia, De Moraes, & De Lima, 2008). The wood of Ce. tocantinum is commonly used as raw material in the construction sector (Warwick & Lewis, 2009). A foliar disease of Ce. tocantinum was recently observed in a forest nursery and surrounding areas inside the main campus of the Federal University of Amazonas, Brazil. Disease symptoms included irregular brown spots surrounded by chlorotic areas. The production of orange spore masses in acervuli on the leaves suggested that the causative agent was a fungal pathogen. The aim of this work was to investigate the aetiology of this disease.