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Environmental requirements for infection of Colletotrichum acutatum and C. gloeosporioides sensu lato in citrus flowers and prevalence of these pathogens in Brazil

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Abstract

Citrus post-bloom fruit drop (PFD) is caused by Colletotrichum acutatum and C. gloeosporioides species complexes and frequently occurs in São Paulo (SP) state, Brazil. The environmental requirements for conidial germination and appressorium formation have been already determined in vitro; however, the environmental conditions for infection in citrus flowers remain unknown. C. acutatum is considered the main species complex causing PFD in citrus, but a survey of the pathogen’s prevalence has never been performed in SP state. The aims of this study were to assess the influence of different temperatures and wetness periods on infection of flowers by C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides in potted citrus trees, and to determine the prevalence of both pathogens in different SP regions and sweet orange varieties. Environmental requirement trials were conducted in 2- to 3-year-old potted sweet orange trees. Flowers at different development stages (R2, R4 and R5) were inoculated with C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides, and the trees were incubated at 18 or 24 °C for wetness periods of 6, 8, 12, 16 or 24 h. The percentages of inoculated flowers with PFD lesions and persistent calyces were calculated. The prevalence of both pathogens in SP regions was assessed in samples of diseased flowers collected at 16 commercial orchards of ‘Natal’, ‘Valencia’ and ‘Pera’ sweet oranges. The species complex was confirmed by isolation and PCR with species complex-specific primers. Blossom blight and persistent calyx incidences were higher in flowers inoculated with C. acutatum than in those inoculated with C. gloeosporioides. Incubation periods ranged from 2 to 5 days, and from 5 to 6 days for C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides, respectively. In SP, irrespective of the region and sweet orange variety, C. acutatum was isolated from more than 80% of symptomatic flowers. We concluded that C. acutatum is not only more aggressive than C. gloeosporioides for causing PFD but also more prevalent in SP orchards.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for financial support from the agencies FAPESP (2008/54176-4) and CNPq (authors scholarships) and Julio C. Rodrigues for the technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fitopatologia e Nematologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” – Esalq/USP, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, 13418-900, Brazil

    Fabrício Packer Gonçalves, Antonio F. Nogueira Júnior, Maísa Ciampi-Guillardi & Lilian Amorim

  2. Corteva Agriscience, Mogi Mirim, São Paulo, 13800-970, Brazil

    Fabrício Packer Gonçalves

  3. Departamento de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Fundo de Defesa da Citricultura – Fundecitrus, Araraquara, São Paulo, 14807-040, Brazil

    Geraldo José Silva-Junior

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  1. Fabrício Packer Gonçalves
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Correspondence to Antonio F. Nogueira Júnior.

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Gonçalves, F.P., Nogueira Júnior, A.F., Silva-Junior, G.J. et al. Environmental requirements for infection of Colletotrichum acutatum and C. gloeosporioides sensu lato in citrus flowers and prevalence of these pathogens in Brazil. Eur J Plant Pathol 160, 27–37 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-021-02218-7

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