Background:

The rapid growth of the blueberry crop in Mexico has resulted in a deficiency of information on fungal pathogens associated with the crop. Such knowledge is essential to establish an effective management of associated diseases.

Objective:

To provide knowledge on the diversity of phytopathogenic and saprophytic fungi associated with this crop.

Methods:

Samples of plants showing symptoms of disease were collected from agricultural properties in two localities of the state of Michoacan. They were processed and purified in PDA and V8 medium using the hyphal tip technique, mycelial mounts were made for their morphological identification based on taxonomic keys. DNA extraction and PCR reactions were performed, the primers used for the las one were ITS1/ITS4; the reactions were sequenced and compared with the NCBI database.

Results and conclusions:

Seven fungal species (phytopathogenic and saprophytic) associated with the crop were identified: Aspergillus sclerotiorum, Trichoderma longibrachiatum, Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum, Fusarium oxysporum, Nigrospora sphaerica, Neopestalotiopsis rosae and Pestalotiopsis oxyanthi. All these species are being reported for the first time in blueberry cultivations in Mexico.

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