Colletotrichum truncatum, a new cause of anthracnose on Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica parachinensis) in China

Abstract

Colletotrichum truncatum was for the first time found to cause severe anthracnose of Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica parachinensis L. H. Bailey) (Cruciferae), in Guangdong province, China. Identification of this Colletotrichum species with curved conidia was based on morphological and cultural characteristics and multi-gene phylogenetic analysis, which showed that this fungus belongs to C. truncatum. Artificially inoculated seedlings of Chinese flowering cabbage showed typical symptoms of anthracnose similar to those observed in the field. To understand the cross-pathogenicity of C. truncatum isolates infecting Chinese flowering cabbage and soybean, artificial inoculations on both hosts were carried out and the results indicated that the isolates of Chinese flowering cabbage could infect soybean, and vice versa. C. truncatum was consistently re-isolated from the artificially infected tissues of both hosts. Furthermore, a comparison of the effects of environmental factors on C. truncatum isolates CBP001 and XST01 from Chinese flowering cabbage and soybean, respectively, demonstrated that these two isolates have similar biological characteristics. Therefore, it is concluded that C. truncatum is the causal agent of anthracnose of Chinese flowering cabbage.