Morphological and Its Molecular Characterisation of Pathogenic Moulds Isolated from Cashews (Anacardium occidentale L.), Togo

Abstract

Fungal diseases are among the factors limiting cashew nut production in Togo. This study aimed to isolate and characterise the diversity of mould species associated with 8 fungal diseases of cashews. Therefore, samples (leaves, buds, apples, nuts and bark) showing symptoms of one of these fungal diseases were collected from cashews. Explants taken from symptomatic samples were disinfected and then transferred to PDA medium. The resulting moulds were purified and identified using morphological (growth rate, texture, topography, colour, pigmentation, spore and asca) and ITS molecular methods. A total of 248 moulds were isolated after fungal analysis. Based on morphological characteristics, 33 fungal clusters were formed, of which 8 were identified. Molecular analysis confirmed the results of morphological identification and enabled the identification of moulds that had not been identified due to their non-sporulation. As a result, a total of 27 mould species belonging to 13 genera were identified for alignment with various sequences available from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Colletotrichum, Pestalotiopsis, Lasiodiplodia, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Curvularia and Diaporthe were the most represented genera. This study revealed a specific diversity of pathogenic moulds infecting cashews in Togo. The use of agroecological control methods could contribute to the effective management of the eight fungal diseases studied.