Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, the causal agent of anthracnose in the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), displays a high level of virulence diversity, which explains the large number of existing pathotypes. Several lines of evidence indicate that such diversity is, at least in part, due to plant and pathogen co-evolution. A co-evolution model based on the binary classification of 25 races identified in Brazil by inoculation of differential cultivars and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) data is proposed. In this model, races 8 and 64 that infected bean cultivar Cornell 49-242 (Are gene) and Mexico 222 (Mexico I gene) are considered to be sources of two important evolutionary routes. Inferences about undescribed races from Brazil could be made.
