First report of anthracnose on Schima mertensiana caused by Colletotrichum sp. in Japan

In November 2015, leaf blight on Schima mertensiana was found in Chichijima, Bonin Islands, Tokyo, Japan. The causal fungus was isolated from the leaf symptoms and identified as Colletotrichum sp . based on morphological examination and molecular analysis using ITS, ACT , CHS-1 , CAL , and TUB2 sequences. Leaf blight similar to the natural symptoms developed after leaves were inoculated with the isolate. This is the first report of leaf blight on S. mertensiana caused by Colletotrichum species in Japan, and anthracnose, “tanso-byo” in Japanese, is proposed as the disease name.