Intraspecific diversity of Colletotrichum plurivorum: an emergent species associated with soybean anthracnose

Abstract

Plant diseases are responsible significant damage and losses in the fields, which affects the global economy and puts food security at risk. Anthracnose is ranked as one of the most destructive fungal diseases, caused by the genus Colletotrichum. Soybean production is threatened by this fungus, as it can lead to total losses under favourable conditions. Soybeans are among the five major crops in the world, whose importance is due to its multiplicity of uses as human and animal feeds. The most common species of Colletotrichum associated with soybean anthracnose is C. truncatum. However, the C. orchidearum species complex (s.c) is also relevant since several studies have shown their presence in soybean fields worldwide. C. plurivorum, C. sojae and C. musicola, part of the C. orchidearum s.c. are reported as pathogenic to soybean, being C. plurivorum the most representative species until now. The analysis of intraspecific diversity is a powerfull tool that allows the understanding of the evolution of the pathogen, contributing to the development of efficient control strategies, such as chemical and genetic control. The diversity of C. truncatum populations has already been widely studied, demonstrating that there is admixture between the populations of this species. On the other hand, knowledge about the diversity of C. plurivorum has not yet been investigated. In this context, this proposal aims to investigate if there is intraspecific diversity among the populations of C. plurivorum of the Midwest region of Brazil. (AU)