Unraveling the Fungal Community Associated with Leaf Spot on Crataegus sp.

Abstract

Crataegus sp. is a tree that grows in temperate zones with worldwide distribution and is commonly known in Mexico as tejocote. The use of products derived from Crataegus in traditional medicine, food, and cosmetics has increased over the last few years and the relevance of this plant has also grown. Here, we report a disease that was observed in tejocote plants that grew both in the wild and in greenhouses in Puebla (Mexico). The disease was characterized by necrotic spots on the leaf ranging from brown to reddish tones that were accompanied by structures on the back of the leaf. Furthermore, we investigated the fungal genera associated with infected leaves in wild tejocote plants, from which we recovered Alternaria sp., Aureobasidium sp., Dreschlera sp., Fusarium sp., Paecilomyces sp. and Ulocladium sp. genera. Inoculation on healthy Crataegus sp. plants with isolate UAP140 showed similar symptoms as observed in nature, while inoculation with UAP127 resulted in the development of necrotic lesions in the leaf. The identity of these isolates was further studied through the phylogenetic analysis of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, where isolate UAP140 showed the highest identity with Fusarium equiseti and isolate UAP127 was similar to Alternaria arborescens. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a characteristic disease developed in Crataegus sp. plants in Mexico where the fungal community associated to the lesion was analyzed. Further studies would be necessary to determine the ecological and environmental implications of the microbiome on the appearance and development of the disease.