Characterization of Colletotrichum fructicola causing anthracnose on Schima superba in China

Leaves of Schima superba with typical anthracnose symptoms were collected in July 2023 in Zhejiang Province, China. The fungi isolates were conducted from the margins of the lesions, and three isolates CA13, CA18 and CA27, were selected for identification and pathogenicity test. Based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of the partial regions of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), actin (ACT), calmodulin (CAL), beta‐tubulin (TUB2), and glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate‐dehydrogenase sequences (GAPDH), the fungi were identified as Colletotrichum fructicola. Inoculation of the fungi on healthy S. superba leaves showed symptoms similar to those observed in the field, and the fungi were re‐isolated from the lesions. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first report of C. fructicola causing anthracnose on S. superba worldwide.