Abstract
Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) production represents one of the main pillars of Peruvian agro-exports; however, its sustainability is increasingly threatened by wood-infecting fungal diseases such as dieback. This study was conducted in the Nuevo Proyecto–Olmos area (Lambayeque, Peru), covering a total cultivated area of 176 ha. The objectives were to molecularly identify the fungal pathogens associated with blueberry dieback to perform a preliminary evaluation of the antagonistic potential of endophytic microorganisms. Pathogens were isolated and characterized using morphological and molecular approaches, followed by pathogenicity tests and in vitro efficacy assays of beneficial microorganisms. Disease incidence was dominated by Lasiodiplodia spp., followed by Neopestalotiopsis, Fusarium, and Diaporthe. Lasiodiplodia theobromae was the most prevalent and aggressive species, confirming its association with the observed disease symptoms. For the genus Lasiodiplodia, temperatures between 25 and 30 °C favored mycelial growth, whereas 20 °C and 35 °C limited development. Endophytic isolates of Trichoderma spp. and Bacillus spp. inhibited pathogen mycelial growth by more than 60% under in vitro conditions. These findings highlight the potential of beneficial microorganisms as preliminary candidates for the biological control of wood-infecting fungi in blueberry production systems.
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Data availability
The obtained sequences were identified by BLAST searches against the NCBI database and deposited in GenBank under accession numbers MW299392, PP439605, PQ114133, UDB076775, PP859451, PQ126990, OQ316613, ON454616, FJ612924, and UDB07. The data supporting the findings of this study are available in the institutional repository of the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA, Peru) and can be provided upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.
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Acknowledgements
The authors express their sincere appreciation for the technical and logistical support provided by the staff of the Plant Pathology and Agricultural Microbiology Laboratory. They also acknowledge the valuable collaboration of the field personnel in sample collection and in the establishment of the experimental trials.
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This work was funded for publication by the INIA project "Improvement of research and technology transfer services in the management and recovery of degraded agricultural soils and irrigation water in small and medium-sized agriculture in the departments of Lima, Ancash, San Martín, Cajamarca, Lambayeque, Junín, Ayacucho, Arequipa, Puno, and Ucayali" CUI 2487112.
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Author contributions: María Jaramillo-Carrión: Conceptualization, Methodology and Project administration. **Mickel Palomino:** Conceptualization, Supervision, writing—original draft and Writing—review and editing. **William Villanueva:** Investigation and Validation. **Esteban Valladolid-Suyón:** Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Software and Visualization. **Richard Solórzano:** Supervision and Writing—review and editing. **Juan C. Paredes J:** Data curation and Writing—original draft. **Johan Rivas:** Writing—original draft.
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Permission to collect blueberry plant material was obtained from the corresponding farm owners and administrators of the commercial plantations located in the Nuevo Proyecto–Olmos area (Lambayeque, Peru). All sampling procedures complied with local regulations and did not involve protected or endangered species.
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Villanueva-Olivera, W., Valladolid-Suyón, E., Palomino, M. et al. Endophytic Trichoderma and Bacillus isolates suppress Lasiodiplodia theobromae-associated dieback in blueberry under arid coastal conditions. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46484-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46484-z
