Botryosphaeriaceae: una familia de hongos, compleja, diversa y cosmopolita

In the last decade, interest in studying the fungi belonging to the Botryosphaeriaceae family has increased due to the diseases that induce in economically important crops, their wide cosmopolitan distribution and the observed association between pathogenesis and host stress. More than ten species associated with symptoms in different parts of the same plant have been reported, indicating that a significant number of species of this family do not have specificity in host range. Besides, several studies have shown the ability of these fungi to ‘jump’ from their original native hosts to agricultural crops that are established in nearby areas, belonging to the same botanical family or to a different family. The objective of this research is to review morphological and molecular markers for taxonomic identification of species in the Botryosphaeriaceae family, their geographical distribution, range of agricultural host and developmental aspects for the disease including dispersal modes. The information presented may be useful in the etiology, identification and diagnosis of Botryosphaeriaceae species as well as the management of the diseases caused by them.