Cacao cultivation is one of the main agricultural products of Ecuador, known internationally for its quality and aroma. However, it is affected by fungal diseases including Moniliophthora roreri, Moniliophthora perniciosa, Phytophthora spp., and Colletotrichum spp. The genus Colletotrichum spp. is known for its characteristics that complicate traditional taxonomic identification. In cacao cultivation, it is one of the most frequently found species as an endophyte of leaves and fruits, yet it is also reported to cause the disease known as anthracnose on leaves and fruits. The objective of this work was to identify at the species level 16 Colletotrichum isolates, 13 from healthy leaf endophytes and 3 from pods with symptoms, through multilocus analysis of the ITS1, 5.8S, and ITS2 region, and partial sequences of the TUB2 and GAPDH genes. Subsequently, their pathogenicity was evaluated by i...

Root-knot nematodes are detrimental to agricultural crops and hard to control once established in the field. The objective of this research was to evaluate the growth, sporulation, and capture in vitro of asexual fungi against Meloidogyne sp. Molecular identification of the asexual fungi included in the study was performed by sequencing the ITS1 region of rDNA. The growth and sporulation of Arthrobotrys sp., Dactylellina sp. and Dactylaria sp. was evaluated in five culture media and two types of substrates (rice husks and ground corn). For the evaluation of attraction and capture of the nematodes, second stage juveniles of Meloidogyne sp. All the evaluated fungal isolates grew and sporulated in the culture media and substrates. The fungi Arthrobotrys sp. (C19-1-1) and Dactylellina sp. (C19-48) showed greater effectiveness in attracting and capturing Meloidogyne sp. The evaluated fungal i...