General Objective: To determine the genetic diversity of N. dimidiatum in yellow pitahaya plantations of the Ecuadorian coast, highlands and Amazonia in relation to the isolates present in other countries and the stress factors associated with the development of the disease.
Specific objectives
- To sample pitahaya plantations in the Ecuadorian coast, highlands and Amazon region for the collection of plant material potentially infected with the pathogen. The indicator of this objective will be the number of plantations visited, the plant material collected and the verifiable will be the route sheet of the vehicles and the field reports generated in each visit.
- To characterize morphologically and genetically the populations of the pathogen N. dimidiatum in pitahaya plantations. This will be verified by the number of isolates of the pathogen obtained from the different visits to the field. The indicator will be the number of genetic sequences and phylogenetic trees developed from the samples.
- To study the abiotic factors that increase the incidence of this fungus in three productive regions of yellow pitahaya in Ecuador. The indicator of this objective will be the lesions or damage caused by the fungus in the inoculated plants and subjected to the different types of stress. These will be verifiable through the field books where the data from the evaluations and the photographic records of the plants with the symptoms are collected.
Participating Institutions:
ESPOL, IKIAM, ESPOCH.
Participants:
Director of the project Lisbeth del Rocío Espinoza Lozano.
- Lisbeth del Rocio Espinoza Lozano
- Maria Isabel Jimenez Feijoo
- Kevin Alexis Mindiola Reyes
- Susana Estefania Araujo Navas
- Sonia Mireya Sislema Muñoz
- Pablo Israel Alvarez Romero
Awarded budget: $45000
Project status: Signing of agreements.
