A study on mango (Mangifera indica L.) trunk decay by Phellinus gilvus (Schw.) Pat. from Himachal Pradesh, India

A severe white rot decay of a very old mango (Mangifera indica L.) tree trunk was observed form Himachal Pradesh, a hilly state of north India. The initial of decaying symptoms were firstly noticed in 2010 which progressed with destructive tissue death of tree trunk. A spongy, sessile, bracket-fungus was found associated with the decay. Morphological and microscopic examination of the collected specimens confirmed the fungus as Phellinus gilvus (Schw.) Pat. Since, P. gilvus is a saprobic fungus having a wide host range worldwide and M. indica is one of the most attacked hosts in India. Therefore, the present report is an important addition to the existing knowledge which will be helpful in understanding the pathogen diversity and interaction with host.