Abstract:
Fungal isolates were recovered from symptomatic naranjilla Solanum quitoense Lam. leaves sampled in the Pastaza province, an important productive region in the eastern Ecuadorian Amazon. Filamentous fungi were identified with molecular methods based on ITS sequencing. Among 68 recorded fungi, the isolation of mycobiota resulted in 14 taxa. Diaporthe citri, D. schini, and Xylaria berteri were the most frequently isolated species. To our knowledge, more than 90% of the taxa recovered in this study are reported for the first time in S. quitoense. Diversity indices suggest that symptomatic tissues represent a moderately diverse reservoir for fungal communities. This is the first study to characterize fungal diversity associated with symptomatic naranjilla leaves showing necrosis or chlorosis tissues through ITS sequencing. The findings presented in this study are relevant, as they can assist in the isolation of a great number of fungal taxa, which could potentially harbor a broad diversity of plant-derived natural molecules with biologically active substances.