PATHOGENICITY OF Macrophomina SPECIES COLLECTED FROM WEEDS IN COWPEA

ABSTRACT Charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina is a major cowpea disease causing substantial losses to growers. In the semi-arid region of Brazil, cowpea is one of the most widely used alternatives for crop rotation during the off-season of melon. This favors Macrophomina multiplication because both crops are hosts of this pathogen. The objective of this study was to verify the pathogenicity of Macrophomina phaseolina and M. pseudophaseolina on cowpea. The Macrophomina spp. isolates used were obtained from the roots of Trianthema portulacastrum and Boerhavia diffusa, weed species prevalent in melon production areas in North-east Brazilian. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse. Cowpea plants cv. ‘Paulistinha’ were inoculated with 30 M. phaseolina isolates, 30 M. pseudophaseolina isolates and a reference isolate of M. phaseolina obtained from cowpea roots. All Macrophomina isolates were able to cause disease on cowpea and there were no statistical differences between both Macrophomina species regarding disease incidence and severity. Moreover, 65.2 and 100.0% of the M. phaseolina isolates, and 56.2 and 92.8% of the M. pseudophaseolina isolates, obtained from T. portulacastrum and B. diffusa, respectively, were as severe to cowpea as the M. phaseolina reference isolate from cowpea. These results emphasize the need to establish management practices aiming to control T. portucalastrum and B. diffusa from cowpea production areas, as they can act as potential sources of inoculum and survival for Macrophomina spp.