Abstract
"Witches' broom" is an important disease that affects cocoa trees (Theobroma cacao), limiting cocoa production. The etiological agent of the disease is the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, a basidiomycete with a hemibiotrophic lifestyle. M. perniciosa isolates are capable of colonizing a range of hosts, ranging from species of the genus Theobroma to solanaceae and wild lianas: the isolat…