Colletotrichum Species Associated with Anthracnose in Salix babylonica in China

Abstract

Salix babylonica L. is a popular ornamental tree species in China and widely cultivated in Asia, Europe, and North America. Anthracnose in S. babylonica poses a serious threat to its growth and reduces its medicinal properties. In 2021, a total of 55 Colletotrichum isolates were isolated from symptomatic leaves in three provinces in China. Phylogenetic analyses using six loci (ITS, ACT, CHS-1, TUB2, CAL, and GAPDH) and a morphological characterization of the 55 isolates showed that they belonged to four species of Colletotrichum, including C. aenigma, C. fructicola, C. gloeosporioides s.s., and C. siamense. Among them, C. siamense was the dominant species, and C. gloeosporioides s.s. was occasionally discovered from the host tissues. Pathogenicity tests revealed that all the isolates of the aforementioned species were pathogenic to the host, and there were significant differences in pathogenicity or virulence among these isolates. The information on the diversity of Colletotrichum spp. that causes S. babylonica anthracnose in China is new.

Identifying the Biological Characteristics of Anthracnose Pathogens of Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in China

“…Colletotrichum spp. has a wide variety of species, and their biological characteristics vary from host to host, so accurate identification of these species is crucial in the control process [27].…”

“…The application and development of molecular biology techniques have led to the use of morphological and multigene systematic analyses as a more dependable means of anthrax fungi classification [34,35]. The internal transcribed space (ITS), calmodulin (CAL), actin (ACT), beta-tubulin (TUB2), Apn2-Mat1-2 intergenic spacer and partial mating type (ApMat), chitin synthase (CHS-1), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) loci have been used to distinguish various Colletotrichum species [27,[35][36][37].…”

Novel Pathogen–Plant Host Interaction: Colletotrichum jiangxiense and Fraxinus americana L. (White Ash) in a Sentinel Garden in China

“…exhibit a broad host range, posing threats not only to plants but also to humans, causing subcutaneous infections and keratitis [7,8]. They are also known to infect insects [9] and are responsible for disease in various herbaceous and woody plants, particularly impacting food crops, fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants, resulting in substantial yield or economic losses [10][11][12][13]. Moreover, reports of multiple Colletotrichum species co-infecting hosts are also increasing [14,15].…”