Identification of Colletotrichum species associated with anthracnose of Spondias spp. in Brazil

Plants of the genus Spondias are commonly cultivated in northern and north-eastern Brazil for fruit production. Severe leaf anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum spp., is frequently observed in several species of Spondias. The objectives of this study were to identify and characterize Colletotrichum species associated with anthracnose in species of Spondias by using the concept of morphological and phylogenetic analyses. Leaves with symptoms of anthracnose were collected from orchards in the state of Piaui, Brazil. Morphological identification; sequencing analysis of ACT, ITS and GS gene regions; and a pathogenicity test confirmed three Colletotrichum spp. (C. dianesei, C. siamense and C. brevisporum) were able to cause the disease. This is the first record of these species of Colletotrichum causing anthracnose in Spondias spp. in Brazil.