MORFOCULTURAL AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF COLLETOTRICHUM SPP. ISOLATES FROM DIFFERENT TROPICAL FRUIT

Abstract

Brazil is the third largest fruit producer, with about 40 billion tons a year, and a planted area of around three million hectares. However, this sector suffers with complex problems diverse nature, with particular emphases in the plant health, among them anthracnose is in focus, it is caused by fungi of Colletotrichum genus. The losses from this disease can happen in pre and post-harvest, when there is an improvement in packing-house process, as well as at storage and marketing points. Based on the above, this study aims to: (i) identify the species of Colletotrichum associated with anthracnose symptoms in six kinds of fruits of economic importance, being avocado, banana, guava, papaya and mango (ii ) determine inter and intraspecific of the frequency associated species, (iii) determine the level of specificity and/or pathogenicity spectrum from pathogens to hosts. Initially you will get a collection of Colletotrichum of symptomatic fruit from different producer regions from the state of São Paulo. Additional samples from other states of the Federation will be also included in this study. Subsequently, studies will be conducted on the characterization morfocultural through the colony appearance and growth rate, conidia shape and dimensions, and molecular characterization by the sequencing the ITS1, ITS2-5.8S, ²-tubulin, actin, glutamine synthetase, calmodulin and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. After the isolates characterization in a laboratory or greenhouse, pathogenicity tests will be performed with inter and intra-specific approach, in the context of hosts.