First Report of the Anthracnose Pathogenic Agent on Walnut Fruits in China and Exploration of Its Biological Characteristics

Anthracnose is recognized as a significant agricultural disease. This study investigates the disease symptoms characterized by black dots on walnut fruits observed in the walnut orchards of Longnan City, Gansu Province, China, in June 2022. These symptoms resemble those of anthracnose reported in pr...

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Main Authors: Chen Zhou, Jinhuan Chen, Yonggang Liu, Ning Luo, Wei Guo, Mingming Shi, Huixia Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Horticulturae
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/3/339
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author Chen Zhou
Jinhuan Chen
Yonggang Liu
Ning Luo
Wei Guo
Mingming Shi
Huixia Li
author_facet Chen Zhou
Jinhuan Chen
Yonggang Liu
Ning Luo
Wei Guo
Mingming Shi
Huixia Li
author_sort Chen Zhou
collection DOAJ
description Anthracnose is recognized as a significant agricultural disease. This study investigates the disease symptoms characterized by black dots on walnut fruits observed in the walnut orchards of Longnan City, Gansu Province, China, in June 2022. These symptoms resemble those of anthracnose reported in previous studies. A strain designated Ht-10 was initially isolated and identified as belonging to the <i>Colletotrichum</i> species based on its morphological features. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that this strain induced pronounced anthracnose symptoms in walnuts, consistent with those originally observed in the field. Subsequently, multilocus phylogenetic analysis, which included partial sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), actin (ACT), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), β-tubulin2 (TUB2), and chitin synthase (CHS-1) genes of Ht-10, indicated that it most likely clustered with <i>Colletotrichum fioriniae</i>. The determination of biological characteristics revealed that the optimal temperature for the growth of Ht-10 was 25 °C in full light at a pH of 6, with soluble starch and yeast paste serving as the optimal carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report of <i>C. fioriniae</i> as a causal agent of anthracnose in walnut fruits in China.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2311-7524
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
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series Horticulturae
spelling doaj-art-667daaf161f64aa2bba93fc2b098e99a2025-08-20T03:43:34ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242025-03-0111333910.3390/horticulturae11030339First Report of the Anthracnose Pathogenic Agent on Walnut Fruits in China and Exploration of Its Biological CharacteristicsChen Zhou0Jinhuan Chen1Yonggang Liu2Ning Luo3Wei Guo4Mingming Shi5Huixia Li6Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaBiocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaInstitute of Plant Protection, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaBiocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaBiocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaBiocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaBiocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province, College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaAnthracnose is recognized as a significant agricultural disease. This study investigates the disease symptoms characterized by black dots on walnut fruits observed in the walnut orchards of Longnan City, Gansu Province, China, in June 2022. These symptoms resemble those of anthracnose reported in previous studies. A strain designated Ht-10 was initially isolated and identified as belonging to the <i>Colletotrichum</i> species based on its morphological features. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that this strain induced pronounced anthracnose symptoms in walnuts, consistent with those originally observed in the field. Subsequently, multilocus phylogenetic analysis, which included partial sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), actin (ACT), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), β-tubulin2 (TUB2), and chitin synthase (CHS-1) genes of Ht-10, indicated that it most likely clustered with <i>Colletotrichum fioriniae</i>. The determination of biological characteristics revealed that the optimal temperature for the growth of Ht-10 was 25 °C in full light at a pH of 6, with soluble starch and yeast paste serving as the optimal carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report of <i>C. fioriniae</i> as a causal agent of anthracnose in walnut fruits in China.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/3/339walnutanthracnose<i>Colletotrichum fioriniae</i>isolationidentification
spellingShingle Chen Zhou
Jinhuan Chen
Yonggang Liu
Ning Luo
Wei Guo
Mingming Shi
Huixia Li
First Report of the Anthracnose Pathogenic Agent on Walnut Fruits in China and Exploration of Its Biological Characteristics
Horticulturae
walnut
anthracnose
<i>Colletotrichum fioriniae</i>
isolation
identification
title First Report of the Anthracnose Pathogenic Agent on Walnut Fruits in China and Exploration of Its Biological Characteristics
title_full First Report of the Anthracnose Pathogenic Agent on Walnut Fruits in China and Exploration of Its Biological Characteristics
title_fullStr First Report of the Anthracnose Pathogenic Agent on Walnut Fruits in China and Exploration of Its Biological Characteristics
title_full_unstemmed First Report of the Anthracnose Pathogenic Agent on Walnut Fruits in China and Exploration of Its Biological Characteristics
title_short First Report of the Anthracnose Pathogenic Agent on Walnut Fruits in China and Exploration of Its Biological Characteristics
title_sort first report of the anthracnose pathogenic agent on walnut fruits in china and exploration of its biological characteristics
topic walnut
anthracnose
<i>Colletotrichum fioriniae</i>
isolation
identification
url https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/3/339
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