First report of a Neofusicoccum sp. causing stem-end rot of mango

In November 2013, a Japanese fruit importer noted a large, black, water-soaked lesion at the stem end of a mango from the Philippines. A fungus was isolated from the lesion and identified as a Neofusicoccum sp. closely related to Neofusicoccum sp. karanda, based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses. The isolated fungus caused black, water-soaked lesions on mango after back-inoculation. The symptoms were also very similar to those caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae , which causes stem-end rot on mangos in Japan. Therefore, we propose the addition of Neofusicoccum sp. closely related to Neofusicoccum sp. karanda as a cause of stem-end rot on mango.