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Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is not a common pathogen on tropical fruits

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Abstract

Colletotrichum gloeosporioides has been reported as one of the most important pathogens worldwide that infect at least 1000 plant species. Fruit rots (anthracnose) are often attributed to C. gloeosporioides and, to a lesser extent, to C. acutatum. These previous findings were, however, based on morphological identification or, if gene sequence data were used, comparisons were often made with wrongly applied names. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was recently epitypified so that living cultures and sequence data are, for first time available for comparison with fresh collections. Analysis of sequence data of 25 isolates from eight tropical fruits are compared with the C. gloeosporioides epitype. Contrary to previous understanding, none of the 25 Colletotrichum isolates from tropical fruits was C. gloeosporioides. The five gene regions used in this study resolved Colletotrichum asianum, C fructicola, C. horii, C. kahawae and C. gloeosporioides in the ‘gloeosporioides’ complex as distinct phylogenetic lineages with high statistical support. Some other likely novel species in the “gloeosporioides” complex and C. siamense, however, received only moderate or low support and further studies are needed to clarify their phylogenetic affinities and taxonomic placements. Cultural, conidial and appressorial characters can be used to differentiate taxa into species complexes, but cannot separate species within a complex. This discovery will have significant impacts on many aspects of plant pathology, pathogen diagnosis, quarantine decisions, plant breeding, and plant disease management and control and these are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by research grants 51101010029 and 52101010002 awarded by Mae Fah Luang University Chiang Rai, Thailand. We are grateful to the Research Institute of Resource Insects, China for providing equipment and laboratory facilities for the molecular study. This research was also funded by AF Grant and the Grant for Essential Scientific Research of National Non-profit Institute (no. CAFYBB2007002) from the Chinese Academy of Forestry and the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. KSCX2-YW-Z-1026.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Systematic Mycology & Lichenology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.10, North 4th Ring Rd West, Beijing, 100190, People’s Republic of China

    Sittisack Phoulivong & Lei Cai

  2. School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand

    Sittisack Phoulivong, Ekachai Chukeatirote & Kevin D. Hyde

  3. International Fungal Research & Development Centre, The Research Institute of Resource Insects, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Bailongsi, Kunming, 650224, People’s Republic of China

    Sittisack Phoulivong, Hang Chen & Kevin D. Hyde

  4. Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos, Vientiane, 7322, Lao PDR

    Sittisack Phoulivong

  5. Landcare Research, Private Bag, 92170, Auckland, New Zealand

    Eric H. C. McKenzie

  6. College of Science, Botany and Microbiology Department, King Saud University, P.O. Box: 2455, Riyadh, 1145, Saudi Arabia

    Kamel Abdelsalam & Kevin D. Hyde

  7. College of Science, Abdul Rahman Al-Jeraisy DNA Research Chair, King Saud University, P.O. Box: 2455, Riyadh, 1145, Saudi Arabia

    Kamel Abdelsalam

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  1. Sittisack Phoulivong
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  2. Lei Cai
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  3. Hang Chen
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  4. Eric H. C. McKenzie
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  6. Ekachai Chukeatirote
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  7. Kevin D. Hyde
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Correspondence to Lei Cai.

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Phoulivong, S., Cai, L., Chen, H. et al. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is not a common pathogen on tropical fruits. Fungal Diversity 44, 33–43 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-010-0046-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-010-0046-0

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