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...

En este estudio se analizaron dos cepas de Phytophthora (PP8 y PPAGR) aisladas de mazorcas de cacao (Theobroma cacao) con síntomas característicos de la enfermedad de la mazorca negra, recolectadas en la provincia de Los Ríos, Ecuador. Mediante análisis molecular, utilizando los cebadores de la región ITS1, 5.8S e ITS2 (ITS4 - ITS6) y la secuenciación del producto amplificado, se determinó que ambas cepas pertenecen a la especie P. palmivora. Adicionalmente, se evaluó la virulencia de las cepas mediante su inoculación en brotes de cacao Nacional Fino de Aroma y CCN-51, empleando un diseño completamente al azar factorial con siete repeticiones, donde cada brote de cacao se consideró como unidad experimental. Los resultados indicaron que la cepa PP8 presentó una incidencia y severidad del 100 % en brotes de cacao Nacional Fino de Aroma, evidenciando una alta susceptibilidad a P...