A new species of Calonectria causing leaf blight and cutting rot of three forest tree species in Brazil

Several species of Calonectria cause diseases on a wide range of forest tree species that are propagated either via seedlings or rooted cuttings. In nurseries these fungi cause damping-off, cutting and root rots, stem lesions, and leaf blights. Recently a Calonectria sp. was isolated from rooted cuttings of Anadenanthera peregrina (Fabaceae), Piptadenia gonoacantha (Fabaceae), and Azadirachta indica (Meliaceae) exhibiting leaf blight and cutting rot in a forest nursery at the Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil. Morphological comparisons and DNA sequences of three loci containing partial gene sequences of ß-tubulin (TUB2), calmodulin (CAL), and elongation factor (TEF-1a) indicated that these isolates represent an unnamed species of Calonectria, described here as C. hodgesii sp. nov. Sprayinoculated plants of all three hosts with a suspension at 1x104 conidia mL-1 induced leaf lesions, cutting rot, and intense defoliation as observed under natural conditions. Calonectria hodgesii was re-isolated from infected tissue, which fulfilled Koch's postulates and confirmed its status as a pathogen with a wide host range.