Molecular Identification and Fungal Diversity Associated with Diseases in Hass Avocado Fruit Grown in Cauca, Colombia

Hass avocado fruit diseases are one of the main marketing constraints in Colombia. To identify and reveal the diversity of fungi associated with diseases in fruits and peduncles, symptomatic samples were collected from 67 farms in the 9 main Hass avocado-producing municipalities of the department of Cauca located in southwestern Colombia. A total of 237 monosporic isolates were obtained that were subjected to DNA extraction, amplification of the ITS region, sequencing and functional diversity analysis based on Hill numbers by municipality and altitude. The results indicated that the genera Pseudocercospora, Diaporthe, Colletotrichum, Neofusiococcum, Lasiodiplodia and Pestatoliopsis were associated with fruit diseases. The genus with the highest number of effective species was Colletotrichum. The ITS region revealed 100% identity of the species Pseudocercospora norchiensis, which was the first report of this pathogen in the crop. There was a greater richness and diversity of associated species in the three municipalities, revealing that the higher the altitude was, the lower the richness and diversity of fungi associated with fruit diseases. These results will provide a better understanding of the identification and diversity of pathogenic microorganisms present in avocado production systems in this region of Colombia.