A new wilt and die-back disease of Acacia mangium associated with Ceratocystis manginecans and C. acaciivora sp. nov. in Indonesia

Species of Ceratocystis are well-known wound related pathogens of many tree species, including commercially planted Acacia spp. Recently, several Ceratocystis isolates were collected from wilting A. mangium in plantations in Indonesia. The aim of this study was to identify these Ceratocystis isolates and to investigate their ability to cause disease on two plantation-grown Acacia spp. using greenhouse and field inoculation experiments. For identification, morphological characteristics and comparisons of DNA sequence data for the ITS, β-tubulin and TEF 1-α gene regions, was used. Ceratocystis isolates were identified as C. manginecans, a serious pathogen of mango trees in Oman and Pakistan and a previously undescribed species, described here as C. acaciivora sp. nov. Both fungi produced significant lesions in inoculation experiments on A. mangium and A. crassicarpa, however, C. acaciivora was most pathogenic suggesting that this fungus is the primary cause of the death of trees under natural conditions.

Research highlights
► A serious new disease of plantation grown Acacia mangium described for the first time.
► Description of a previously unknown Ceratocystis species, C. acaciivora.
► Ceratocystis manginecans reported from Acacia spp. for first time.
► Two new reports of Ceratocystis spp. from Indonesia.