SHORT COMMUNICATION Is Lasiodiplodia theobromae the only species that causes leaf blight disease in Brazilian coconut palms? Pedro H. D. Santos 1 & Beatriz M. Carvalho 2 & Fernanda A. S. Aredes 2 & Vicente Mussi-Dias 1 & Danilo B. Pinho 3 & Messias G. Pereira 2 & Silvaldo Felipe da Silveira 1 Received: 5 October 2018 /Accepted: 27 March 2020 # Sociedade Brasileira de Fitopatologia 2020 Abstract Leaf blight disease in coconut (LBC) caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae leads to early defoliation and loss of bunches, which negatively impacts coconut fruit yield. The etiology of LBC in Brazil needs to be updated based on modern tools such as DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. A phylogenetic tree using ITS and TEF-1α genes in combination with morphology showed L. theobromae as the most common species associated with LBC in Brazil. We identified six species from distinct plant parts (leaves, fruits, rachis, inflorescence, stem and stipe): L. brasiliense, L. pseudotheobromae, L. laeliocattleyae, Botryosphaeria fabicerciana and B. dothidea. Our pathogenicity test results revealed that B. fabicerciana and L. pseudotheobromae cause LBC symptoms. Our study is the first to address two species, in addition to L. theobromae, as etiologic agents of LBC disease based on morphological, phylogenetic and pathogenicity data. Keywords Botryosphaeriaceae . Cocos nucifera . Bayesian inference . Taxonomy Cocos nucifera L. is the most cultivated perennial palm spe- cies in the tropics due to both its economic and social values. In Brazil, coconut producers include smallholders, family farmers and agribusinesses, and producing this crop is an im- portant employment- and income-generating activity (Marina et al. 2009; Monteiro et al. 2013; Pereira et al. 2017). Coconut palm cultivation can generate various products and byproducts, from fruits sold directly to consumers or the sup- ply raw materials (pulp, oil, fibers, etc.) for different uses from handicrafts to industrial uses (Mirisola Filho 2002). The co- conut palm was established in Brazil in the colonial period, and in the last two decades, coconut plantation areas have been expanding to the southeastern region to supply the local fresh fruit market with in natura coconut water for consump- tion. The cv. Green Dwarf of Jiqui is the most planted coconut palm variety for this purpose in Brazil due to its precocity, productivity and water quality (Mirisola Filho 2002). However, this variety is susceptible to the most damaging coconut diseases and pests. Leaf blight disease in coconut (LBC) caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae (Pat.) Griffon & Maubl is one of the most damaging fungal diseases affecting coconut crops in Brazil (Monteiro et al. 2013). In the lower leaves of the palm, infection often occurs from the insertion points of the apical leaflets, and then, the fungus systemically (internally) invades the rachis to the petiole, causing necrosis accompanied by gum liberation and culminating in dryness of the leaflets and blight of the whole leaf (de Souza Filho et al. 1979). Consequently, a significant portion of the canopy and most of the lower leaves of the plant fall off, and the corresponding fruit bunches are lost as a consequence of physical and phys- iological damage. Adult Green Dwarf of Jiqui coconut palms are unproductive when they present fewer than 18 leaves (Mirisola Filho 2002). On the Brazilian southeastern coast, several coconut crops of this variety are considered unproduc- tive because the plants have few leaves as a result of LBC outbreaks (Monteiro et al. 2013). * Pedro H. D. Santos pedroh_dias@hotmail.com 1 Laboratório de Entomologia e Fitopatologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil 2 Laboratório de Genética e Melhoramento de Plantas, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil 3 Departamento de Fitopatologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil Tropical Plant Pathology https://doi.org/10.1007/s40858-020-00344-x