Almond anthracnose is caused by a genetically diverse population of Colletotrichum godetiae fungi along with a lower proportion of C. acutatum.

Authors

Madalena Ramos, Pedro Arsénio, Riccardo Baroncelli, Pedro Talhinhas

Published in

Plant disease. Jun 20, 2026. Epub Jun 20, 2026.

Abstract

Almond anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum spp. has become an increasing threat in modern almond orchards in Portugal. This study aimed to characterize the genetic, phylogenetic, morphological and virulence diversity of Colletotrichum species associated with symptomatic and asymptomatic almond tree organs collected in the main producing regions of Portugal. A total of 112 isolates were obtained from fruits, leaves, flowers and branches, with most samples originating from the Alentejo region. Almond anthracnose in Portugal is caused by genetically and biologically heterogeneous Colletotrichum species dominated by C. godetiae, which exhibited high multilocus genetic diversity, with most isolates corresponding to unique haplotypes, indicating the coexistence of genetically distinct strains. Colletotrichum godetiae and C. acutatum were predominantly isolated from symptomatic organs in the field, whereas C. fioriniae, C. karsti and C. gloeosporioides were detected in asymptomatic organs; however, all species were able to cause disease. This study reports C. karsti and C. gloeosporioides on almond for the first time. This diversity suggests multiple introductions and/or ongoing diversification of Colletotrichum populations associated with almond. Differences in virulence among the representative isolates tested, combined with similar incubation and latency periods, indicate that the severity is related to post-penetration events. Moreover, disease prevalence, averaging 36%, was associated with rainfall during the period from fruit set to early fruit development, highlighting the strong influence of meteorological conditions on anthracnose outbreaks. These findings support targeted monitoring, risk assessment and integrated disease management under agricultural intensification and climatic variability.

PMID:
42322579
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Jun 2026.

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