First report of the fungus Fomitiporia maxonii Murrill causing citrus wood rot in commercial orange and grapefruit groves in Cuba

•A 4-yr survey indicated high incidence of citrus trees exhibiting dieback in Cuba.•Wood from rot-affected trees was examined and processed for isolation of the causal agent(s).•Colony morphology analysis, DNA sequencing, and pathogenicity tests were conducted.•All analyses confirmed the dieback is associated with Fomitiporia maxonii.•The information is important for the development of new strategies to control the disease.

Cuban citriculture has recently been affected by important pests and diseases including black citrus aphid Toxoptera citricida Kirkaldy, citrus leafminer Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton, Asiatic citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, Citrus tristeza disease, and huanglongbing. This complex of ‘invasive species’ is thought to be contributing to the increasing decline of commercial citrus groves. During several surveys carried out in commercial citrus areas of several provinces in Cuba, symptoms of dieback, characterized by the presence of abundant dry branches and wood rot were detected on Criolla Valencia orange, Marsh grapefruit trees on sour orange, and Cleopatra mandarin rootstocks. Samples of branches and trunk wood were processed and a fungus was isolated from all samples. Morphological, physiological and molecular characterization demonstrated that the isolated agent is Fomitiporia maxonii Murrill. The incidence of affected trees was high in most surveyed groves, reaching 100% in old groves. Symptoms similar to the ones found in naturally infected trees were reproduced on trees inoculated with pure cultures of the fungus, and the fungus was recovered in culture from inoculated trees, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. This is the first report of an association of F. maxonii with citrus wood rot in Cuba.