Distribution, incidence and severity of the dieback (Lasiodiplodia spp.) in persa lime in Morelos, Mexico

Abstract

The distribution, incidence and severity damage caused by the dieback complex (Lasiodiplodia spp.) in Persian lime (Citrus latifolia) was determined in 46 orchards of six average years old, 25 trees per orchard in the municipalities of Amacuzac, Ayala, Coatlan del Rio, Cuautla, Jantetelco, Jonacatepec, Puente de Ixtla, Tepalcingo and Tlaltizapan of Zapata, Morelos State, Mexico. Incidence was evaluated according to the number of plants having symptoms of dieback. There were four levels of severity, where 0= healthy tree, 1= gum exudation, 2= cracking with exposure of internal tissue and 3= well-defined canker and branch dieback. Which were transformed to a percentage of means of a scale of three levels of severity, transforming to a percentage of infection using the Townsend and Heuberger equation. Data were analyzed trough the Kruskal Wallis test and Tukey (?=0.05) and p<0.0001 in incidence and severity. There was a high incidence of dieback on stems 78% of Persian lime trees. The incidence and severity of dieback of Persian trees on different orchards had a range of 31.8 to 100% and 30 to 100%, respectively. By the other hand, municipalities such as Amacuzac, Ayala, Coatlan del Rio and Tlaltizapan, had the lowest levels of incidence and severity of dieback.