Diversity of Colletotrichum species in coffee (Coffea arabica) plantations in Mexico

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the Colletotrichum species associated with anthracnose symptoms in coffee (Coffea arabica L.) plantations in northern Puebla, Mexico. In 2013, five surveys were conducted in different production areas and at different altitudes. Symptomatic leaves, shoots, and ripe and unripe fruits of the coffee variety Red Caturra were collected. Isolates were obtained and the Colletotrichum species were identified morphologically and characterized by multilocus sequence analyses of the ACT, CAL, GAPDH, and TUB2 genes and the rDNA region. Additionally, pathogenicity tests were conducted using six isolates. We identified C. gigasporum, C. gloeosporioides, C. karstii (two isolates), C. siamense, and C. theobromicola. This is the first report of these five species infecting leaves of coffee. The symptoms caused by these species were characterized, but the species causing Coffee Berry Disease was not found. This is the first report of a complex of species affecting coffee plants in the same geographical area in Mexico, and suggests that other complexes of species may be important pathogens in coffee-producing areas elsewhere.