First Report of Anthracnose on Chayote Fruits ( Sechium edule ) Caused by Colletotrichum brevisporum

Colletotrichum orbiculare is traditionally considered the etiological agent of anthracnose on such Cucurbitaceae as chayote, cucumber, melons, pumpkin, squash, and watermelon. Recently, an isolate of Colletotrichum with morphological characteristics distinct from C. orbiculare was collected from chayote fruits in Antonio Carlos, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Therefore, this study aimed to verify the etiology of anthracnose on chayote (Sechium edule) based on morphological and molecular data. The symptoms initially appear as soaked and cylindrical lesions on the surface of the fruit, which gradually enlarges in size, becomes elliptical, sunken and pale brown to black. A monosporic isolate was obtained on potato dextrose agar (PDA), and derived culture was deposited in the Colecao de Culturas de Fungos Fitopatogenicos da Universidade Federal de Alagoas (code COUFAL7300). This pathogen has been previously reported in Thailand and Korea in association with Neoregalia spp., Pandanus pygmaeus, and Lycium chinense, and recently reported on papaya in Brazil.