Lasiodiplodia theobromae

L. theobromae causes diseases such as dieback, blights, and root rot in a variety of different hosts in tropical and subtropical regions. These include guava, coconut, papaya, and grapevine. It can also affect the fruit of durians such as Durio graveolens. ==Disease cycle==

The fungus over-winters as pycnidia on the outside of diseased wood. The pycnidia produce and release dark brown, striated conidia. The conidia are then dispersed by wind or rain-splash, spreading the fungi from one part of the vine to another, and to other nearby vines. Disease develops when conidia land on freshly cut or damaged wood; the conidia germinate in the wood tissue, progressively damaging the host-plant's vascular system. As tissue damage advances around the initial site of infection, the formation of cankers and cell death - or necrosis - will cause eventual dieback of the wood. Under certain conditions, pseudothecia will grow on the surface of cankers and produce ascospores, which - like conidia - will disperse to infect surrounding wounds. ==Management==

Several procedures can be implemented to manage dieback in a vineyard; either to break the disease cycle and prevent further infection, or help plants recover after initial infection. When removing infected material, good hygiene - i.e., the use of PPE and decontamination processes - must be practiced in order to avoid cross-contamination and prevent further spread of the infection to unaffected vines. Strategies used for prevention and recovery are listed in the table below: ==References==