Occurrence of Gray Mold in Mango Caused by Botrytis cinerea in Korea

Abstract

During a disease survey conducted in April 2022, we observed severe gray mold symptoms on inflorescences of mango trees (<i>Mangifera indica</i>) grown in a vinyl greenhouse in Jeju, Korea. The symptoms occurred on the flowers and peduncles, on which a lot of gray molds were formed. The incidence of gray mold on the inflorescences in the vinyl greenhouse ranged from 10% to 40%. Three fungal isolates were obtained from the lesions and identified as <i>Botrytis cinerea</i> based on their morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis. All isolates of <i>B. cinerea</i> were tested for their pathogenicity to inflorescences of mango trees through artificial inoculation. The pathogenicity of the isolates was confirmed on the flowers and peduncles. The symptoms induced by the isolates were similar to those on the inflorescences of mango trees observed in the disease survey. This is the first report of <i>B. cinerea</i> causing gray mold in mango in Korea.