Colletotrichum sp. ASSOCIATED WITH SOYBEAN AND CORN ANTHRACNOSE IN THE PAMPAS REGION OF ARGENTINA

Abstract

Colletotrichum species (C.) exhibit considerable genetic variability, causing diseases in different hosts and showing physiological specificity between isolates that interact with different genotypes of the same crop. The objective of this study was to identify Colletotrichum isolates collected from symptomatic plants of various plant species and environments in the central region of Argentina. Isolates were obtained from symptomatic stems of soybean, corn, alfalfa, and citrus plants. Fungal identity was confirmed through macro- and micromorphological analysis, as well as molecular techniques including by RAPD and sequencing of ITS1 and ITS4 fragments amplified by PCR. The identified Colletotrichum species included: C. truncatum and C. gloeosporioides in soybean, C. graminicola in corn, C. gloeosporioides in tangerine, and C. truncatum in alfalfa. These results highlight the plasticity of this pathogenic complex and the epidemiological risk posed by corn-soybean crop rotation for the development and severity of anthracnose.