Colletotrichum species causing anthracnose on lima bean in Brazil

The taxonomy of the genus Colletotrichum has undergone various changes. These alterations arise from the use of modern molecular tools. Currently, Colletotrichum species are grouped into complexes. Species of Colletotrichum associated with diseases in lima bean have been investigated very little. In Brazil, anthracnose in lima bean has often been associated with Colletotrichum truncatum, but only morphological characteristics have been used for identification purposes. In this study, samples of lima bean with symptoms of spots on the leaves and pods have been collected in Piauí and Alagoas states. Comparisons of morphological characteristics revealed nine isolates with cylindrical or curved conidia. The ITS region and partial sequences of GAPDH, β-tubulin and Actin regions were amplified by PCR, sequenced and submitted to multilocus phylogenetic analysis. The isolates analyzed grouped with reference specimens from Colletotrichum truncatum , C . cliviae and C . fructicola . All isolates were pathogenic to 25-day-old lima bean seedlings. Therefore, this work confirms the pathogenicity of C. truncatum to lima bean and for the first time records the occurrence of C. cliviae and C. fructicola as pathogens of this host in Brazil.