Abstract
Avocado seedlings on Kar Kar Island (Papua New Guinea) were found to be infected with Oncobasidium theobromae, a fungus that has previously been found only on cocoa. The growth habit of the fungus in avocado was very similar to that in cocoa, although there was a difference in the leaf symptoms induced. While the presence of O. theobromae on avocado does not explain the occurrence of the pathogen in Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, it shows that the fungus is not restricted to cocoa nor the family Sterculeaceae, and is evidence that the fungus is likely to have the same growth habit in an indigenous host(s) as it does in cocoa.
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Anderson, R.D. Avocado, an alternate host for Oncobasidium theobromae . Australasian Plant Pathology 18, 96–97 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1071/APP9890096
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/APP9890096