Twenty-nine monoconidial cultures of Colletotrichum isolated from papaya (Carica papaya) petioles and fruits were characterized by conidial and appressoria morphology, colony color, growth rate, sensitivity to benomyl, presence of setae, presence of the teleomorph, PCR with taxon-specific primers and analysis of PCR-RFLP of the ITS region. The 29 isolates from papaya were identified as C. gloeosporioides, based mainly on conidial and appressoria morphology, with most isolates producing cylindrical and/or obclavate conidia and entirely or weakly lobed appressoria, in contrast with the strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) isolate of C. acutatum, which produced fusiform conidia and circular appressoria with entire edges. Presence of setae, teleomorphic stage, colony color, sensitivity to benomyl and growth rate were variable among isolates and influenced by the culture medium. All papaya isolates and four isolates (C. gloeosporioides and C. acutatum) from other hosts, mango (Mangifera indica), strawberry and apple (Malus domestica), were pathogenic to papaya fruits cv. Sunrise Solo, producing similar symptoms, but with variability in aggressiveness. PCR with C. gloeosporioides-specific primer, CgInt, confirmed the identity of four papaya isolates. Two other isolates reacted with C. acutatum-specific primer, CaInt2. The majority of papaya isolates (23), however, did not react with any of the primers tested. In contrast, RFLP analysis of the amplified ITS region with RsaI, generated distinct patterns that could differentiate between the two species, C. gloeosporioides and C. acutatum, and showed uniformity among papaya isolates.
anthracnose; chocolate spot; Carica papaya; ribosomal DNA; Colletotrichum acutatum
