First Record of IColletotrichum anthrisci/I Causing Anthracnose on Avocado Fruits in Chile

Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum species is one of the most frequent and damaging fungal diseases affecting avocado fruits (Persea americana Mill.) worldwide. In Chile, the disease incidence has increased over the last decades due to the establishment of commercial groves in more humid areas. Si...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPathogens (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 10
Main Authors Bustamante, Marcelo I, Osorio-Navarro, Claudio, Fernández, Ysadora, Bourret, Tyler B, Zamorano, Alan, Henríquez-Sáez, José Luis
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published MDPI AG 01.10.2022
Subjects
Anthracnose
Ascomycota
Avocado
Causes of
Diseases and pests
Fungi
Fungi, Phytopathogenic
Genetic aspects
Identification and classification
Chile
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Summary:Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum species is one of the most frequent and damaging fungal diseases affecting avocado fruits (Persea americana Mill.) worldwide. In Chile, the disease incidence has increased over the last decades due to the establishment of commercial groves in more humid areas. Since 2018, unusual symptoms of anthracnose have been observed on Hass avocado fruits, with lesions developing a white to gray sporulation. Morphological features and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses using six DNA barcodes (act, chs-1, gapdh, his3, ITS, and tub2) allowed the identification of the causal agent as Colletotrichum anthrisci, a member of the dematium species complex. Pathogenicity was confirmed by inoculating healthy Hass avocado fruits with representative isolates, reproducing the same symptoms initially observed, and successfully reisolating the same isolates from the margin of the necrotic pulp. Previously, several Colletotrichum species belonging to other species complexes have been associated with avocado anthracnose in other countries. To our knowledge, this is the first record of C. anthrisci and of a species of the dematium species complex causing anthracnose on avocado fruits in Chile and worldwide.
ISSN:2076-0817
2076-0817
DOI:10.3390/pathogens11101204