• Vol. 2025, 43(2)
• Phytopathological Note

Morphological and molecular characterization of Fusarium incarnatum associated to the malformation of mango (Mangifera indica) in Sinaloa, Mexico

By Leonardo Román Román, Tomás Aarón Vega Gutiérrez, Martín Abraham Tirado Ramírez, Luz Llarely Cázarez Flores, Lorena Molina Cárdenas*, Indira Rojo Báez

*Corresponding Author.

Received: 01/July/2024 – Published: 29/April/2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18781/R.MEX.FIT.2407-1

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  • Román-Román L, Vega-Gutiérrez TA, Tirado-Ramírez MA, Cázarez-Flores LL, Molina-Cárdenas L, Rojo-Báez I. 2025. Morphological and molecular characterization of Fusarium incarnatum associated to the malformation of mango (Mangifera indica) in Sinaloa, Mexico. Mexican Journal of Phytopathology 43(2):68. https://doi.org/10.18781/R.MEX.FIT.2407-1
  • Román-Román, L, Vega-Gutiérrez, TA, Tirado-Ramírez, MA, Cázarez-Flores, LL, Molina-Cárdenas, L y Rojo-Báez, I (2025). Morphological and molecular characterization of Fusarium incarnatum associated to the malformation of mango (Mangifera indica) in Sinaloa, Mexico. Mexican Journal of Phytopathology 43(2):68. https://doi.org/10.18781/R.MEX.FIT.2407-1
  • Leonardo Román-Román, Tomás Vega-GutiérrezA, Martín Tirado-RamírezA, Luz Cázarez-FloresL, Lorena Molina-Cárdenas y Indira Rojo-Báez. 2025. Morphological and molecular characterization of Fusarium incarnatum associated to the malformation of mango (Mangifera indica) in Sinaloa, Mexico. Mexican Journal of Phytopathology 43(2):68. https://doi.org/10.18781/R.MEX.FIT.2407-1

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Abstract Background/Objective. The malformation in mango is one of the main diseases to attack this crop, and therefore limits its worldwide production. The aim of this study was to identify, morphologically and molecularly, the phytopathogen associated to the malformation of mango in Sinaloa, Mexico.

Materials and methods. In 2018, samples showing malformation symptoms, such as compacted panicles and the eruption of multiple vegetative shoots, were collected from mango orchards in Sinaloa. Based on morphological characteristics, the isolates were identified as Fusarium incarnatum. The molecular identification was carried out by amplifying the partial sequence of the elongation factor gene (TEF-1α) and conducting a phylogenetic analysis. Pathogenicity tests were performed on mango plants through artificial inoculation.

Results. Symptoms on the inoculated plants were observed seven weeks after inoculation, with a disease severity scale rating between 2 and 4; no symptoms were observed in the control plants. The pathogen was re-isolated from symptomatic tissue and identified based on morphology, thus fulfilling Koch’s postulates.

Conclusion. Fusarium incarnatum is repored for the first time as associated with mango malformation in Sinaloa, Mexico.

Keywords: Elongation factor, Fusarium, Koch’s postulates

Table 1. Scale of severity of the malformation disease proposed by Iqbal et al. (2006).

Figure 1. A-G. Morphological characteristics of Fusarium incarnatum. A and B) Culture in PDA; C and D) In situ microconidia; E) Microconidia and macroconidia; F) Brown sporodochia; G) Alternated and lone chlamidospores in a CLA culture medium. Bars= 50 μm.

Figure 2. A–D) Symptoms of malformation in common mango plants inoculated with Fusarium incarnatum (95VESIN and 121FRSIN); E) Control mango plant.

Figure 3. Phylogram inferred by Neighbor Joining for partial sequenced of the TEF-1α gene of Fusarium species. The values in the nodes represent bootstrap scores based on 1000 replicates. Sequences MK932800 and MK932804 originate from the present study.