Date Received: 02-02-2023 / Date Accepted: 18-04-2023
Blight is a destructive disease of Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) that has emerged in Thua Thien Hue province in recent years. The objective of this study was to identify the etiological agent responsible for the disease. The pathogenicity of microorganisms isolated from diseased Lotus plants was evaluated by inoculating healthy Lotus plants with these isolates. The pathogenic fungus was evaluated for its morphological characteristics on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium and on pieces of pine needles. Molecular identification of the pathogenic fungus was performed based on the sequencing of three barcode genes, including Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS), Translation Elongation Factor 1 gene (ef1), and beta-tubulin (tub2). Symptom evaluation of diseased Lotus plants in nature suggested that the pathogen primarily attacked the upper part of the plant. Eight morphologically distinct bacterial and seven fungal isolates were obtained from the typical diseased petioles. Artificial inoculation of all bacterial and fungal isolates on leaf veins and petioles of Lotus plants revealed that only one fungal isolate, designated as N1, was pathogenic to Lotus, producing symptoms resembling those of the diseased plants in the field. Morphological evaluation, including the characteristics of fungal mycelia on PDA medium and the characteristics of conidia, identified the N1 isolate as a member of the genus Lasiodiplodiaof the family Botryosphaeriaceae. Molecular identification identified the N1 isolate as Lasiodiplodia theobromae. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the world and in Vietnam that identifies L. theobromaeas the causative agent of blight disease in Lotus plants.