An account of Colletotrichum species associated with anthracnose of Atractylodes ovata in South Korea based on morphology and molecular data

Ovate-leaf atractylodes (OLA) (Atractylodes ovata) is a well-known medicinal plant in Korea; its dried rhizome and root extracts are used in herbal medicine. However, anthracnose is a great challenge to the OLA cultivation in South Korea. Colletotrichum spp. is a major group of plant pathogens responsible for anthracnose on a range of economically important hosts. Its occurrence on OLA remains unresolved. To investigate the diversity, morphology, phylogeny, and biology of Colletotrichum spp., 32 fungal isolates were obtained from 30 OLA-affected leaves collected from five different farms, in two regions in South Korea, Mungyeong and Sangju. The phylogenetic analysis with four or five gene loci (ITS, TUB2, ACT, GAPDH, and CHS-1) along with morphology of 26 representative isolates delineated six previously known Colletotrichum species including C. fructicola, C. gloeosporioides sensu stricto (s.s), C. cigarro, C. plurivorum, C. siamense and C. sojae, and one new species, described here as C. ovataense. Amongst these species, C. gloeosporioides s.s. and C. plurivorum were the most prevalent species. A pathogenicity test on the detached leaves revealed that different Colletotrichum species presented a distinct degree of virulence, confirming Koch’s postulates. In this study, C. fructicola, C. cigarro, C. plurivorum, C. siamense, and C. sojae were reported from A. ovata for the first time, as the causal agent of ovate-leaf atractylodes anthracnose. Understanding the diversity and biology of the Colletotrichum species population will help in managing this disease.