We used microbial culture specific methods to assess the occurrence and diversity of fungal communities inhabiting symptomatic foliar tissue of Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) at four different field plots in the northern Ecuadorian Andes. We categorized the isolated fungi based on their morphological characteristics and subsequently identified them through rDNA sequencing of the ITS region. We recovered 75 ascomycetous isolates which represented 13 genera, revealing a total of 20 taxa. We found most isolates recovered from necrotic and straw-colored tissues to belong to the genus Alternaria. Other fungal taxa frequently found were Epicoccum, Diaporthe, and Xylaria. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the mycobiota associated to P. peruviana plants showing disease symptoms, including 2 new genera of fungi for the first time in Ecuador. Our results are expected to provide useful information for future assessments of biological control on tropical commercial.

Physalis peruviana, known locally as uvilla but internationally as goldenberry or Cape gooseberry, is the fourth most important exotic fruit for export in Ecuador, after Mangifera spp. (mango), Cereus spp. (pitahaya), and Passiflora spp. (maracuya and granadilla). Ecuador is the second world exporter of this solanaceous fruit after Colombia. This crop is produced in four provinces located in the center and north of the Andean region. In 2013, Ecuador exported 91 tons of P. peruviana (ProEcuador 2014). Between October 2016 and March 2017, P. peruviana production fields.