FIRST REPORT OF Colletotrichum coccodes IN FRUITS OF TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum) IN MEXICO

Abstract

Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum coccodes, affects solanaceae and cucurbits. In Mexico this pathogen has been reported in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivation, but not in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). In 2015, the presence of symptom of deep-set lesions was observed with 7 % incidence in tomato fruits sampled in open fields in the state of Morelos, Mexico. The objective of this study was to identify the causal agent of anthracnose symptom of the fruit by morphological and molecular characteristics. The collected material was disinfested and seeded in PDA (potato-dextrose-agar) culture medium and agar-V8 juice, from sunken lesions in which formation of sclerotia, mushrooms, cylindrical conidia, hyalines, without, septa of 3.16 to 4.16 μm wide and 12.5 to 17.2 μm long with lobed appressoria. In molecular characterization, the sequences obtained with the ITS5/ITS4 primers had 100 % similarity with Collectotrichum coccodes. The pathogenicity tests were carried out on healthy fruits with or without a wound and the lesion size was evaluated every 48 h. The initial symptoms appeared at 72 h and at 8 d they presented lesions from 0.5 to 3.25 cm in diameter. The Tukey test detected significant differences between inoculation methods. This is the first report of Collectotrichum coccodes that affects tomato fruits in Mexico.