To isolate the fungus, small portions from infected banana and papaya tissues were surface-sterilized using sodium hypochlorite (0.01%) for 5 min followed by three washings with purified water and then drying on sterile paper. The isolates were cultured aseptically on Petri dishes containing potato dextrose agar (PDA) (Difco Brand, USA) and incubated at 25 °C. Once the mycelial growth was found, the colonies were re-isolated on fresh PDA dishes to obtain pure cultures. The isolates were then identified on the basis of their morphological and cultural characters. Continuous re-isolation was carried out on PDA slants to maintain inoculum.