IDENTIFICATION OF COLLETOTRICHUM SPECIES RESPONSIBLE OF ANTHRACNOSE IN SOUTH-WESTERN SPAIN BY POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION TECHNIQUE (PCR)

Anthracnose of strawberry in Huelva (South-western Spain) is caused primarily by Colletotrichum acutatum. To determine if different Colletotrichum spp. isolates from root, fruit, petiole and leaves of strawberry plants with anthracnose symptoms were C. acutatum, the species-specific primer (CaInt2) was used. PCR with primers CaInt2 and ITS4 amplified a 490-bp fragment from C. acutatum but not from other species of Colletotrichum. Results showed that this primer is a convenient tool for Colletotrichum spp. differentiation, and furthermore, that C. acutatum was the most widely spread causal agent of strawberry anthracnose in south-western Spain. Morphological studies were carried out to complete our study about identification of Colletotrichum isolates.