• 2022-11-10
• Ikechi-Nwogu C. G., Egba F.
• Volume 4, Issue 2

Abstract

The aim of this study is to isolate and identify fungi associated with the rot of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.). Samples of the deteriorating coconut were collected from Rumuodomaya Market in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. Fungal isolates were collected at the Regional Centre for Biotechnology and Biofuel Research Laboratory and morphologically characterized. The DNA of the most common fungal isolates, sample 12 and 13, was molecularly characterized using Internal Transcribed Spacer 4 and 5 (ITS-4 and 5) molecular markers. The DNA of the isolate sequence was aligned using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool for Nucleotide (BLASTN) 2.8.0 version of National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. Based on sequence similarity, it was observed that the diseased isolate sample 12 was 99.83% identical to Rhizopus delemar and sample 13 was 69.06% identical to Aspergillus flavus. The molecular weight of the DNA of the isolates were 657 base pairs for Rhizopus delemar and 595 base pairs for Aspergillus flavus. These findings showed that Rhizopus delemar and Aspergillus flavus are the major causal fungal pathogens infecting coconut. A phylogenetic tree was constructed showing the relationship between the isolates from the study and other isolates on the GenBank. This study revealed vital information on the molecular characterization of fungi associated with coconut. It is hoped that the obtained results will serve as a handy information for individuals that wishes to do further studies.

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