Colletotrichum gloeosporioides sensu stricto as causal agent of anthracnose on pomegranate fruit in Albania

Abstract In spring 2019, an anthracnose-like disease was observed on fruit in pomegranate orchards of cv. Wonderful in the Fier region of Albania. Disease prevalence in the assayed area ranged from 8 to 10%. Symptoms appeared as light to dark brown circular, sunken lesions with increasing diameter, which then merged. This study aimed to characterize the causal agent on the basis of morphology, molecular phylogeny, and pathogenicity. Micro- and macro-morphological features revealed that the disease-associated fungus belonged to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex. A multi-locus molecular phylogeny using partial sequences of barcoding genes/regions (ITS, ACT, CHS-1, GAPDH, TUB2, CAL, GS, and ApMat) ascribed strain CG1 to C. gloeosporioides sensu stricto (s.s.). Pathogenicity tests, performed by inoculating healthy fruit, confirmed C. gloeosporioides s.s. as causal agent of anthracnose on pomegranate fruit in Albania.