SURVEY, PATHOGENIC VARIABILITY AND MORPHO-CULTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF Colletotrichum truncatum CAUSING ANTHRACNOSE AND POD BLIGHT OF SOYBEAN IN CHHATTISGARH (INDIA)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/abr.2026.28.01.39Keywords:
Anthracnose, blight, Colletotrichum truncatum, disease survey, culture-morphological characterization, soybeanAbstract
Colletotrichum truncatum (Schwein.), a devastating fungus causing anthracnose and pod blight of soybean, is a major threat to soybean production as it causes heavy yield loss. A roving survey across the 16 villages of six districts of Chhattisgarh, India during Kharif 2024 and 2025, covering 32 villages revealed mean percent disease index (PDI) ranged from 17.8 to 31.0%, while percent pod infection (PPI) ranged from 14.85 to 25.75%. A strong positive correlation (r = 0.99, p < 0.01) was observed between PDI and PPI across the surveyed locations. Sixteen isolates were obtained, all of which confirmed to be pathogenic with symptom appearance occurring between 10-15 days after inoculation (DAI). PDI ranged from 36.2 to 46.3%, with isolate CGCt-1 (Pathri Kalan) exhibiting the highest virulence. Eleven isolates were classified as highly virulent (PDI > 40%) and five as virulent. Cultural characterization revealed substantial phenotypic variability within isolates, with colony diameter ranging from 60.6 mm to 90.0 mm on PDA. Morphological studies revealed considerable variation in conidial dimensions (21.9-24.8 × 3.6-4.2 μm), appressorial size (11.0-12.8 × 7.4-8.4 μm), acervuli (121.4-225.8 × 180.8-295.4 μm) and setae (79.6-212.6 × 5.0-8.4 μm). The study provides baseline information on disease distribution and pathogenic variability that may be helpful in devising appropriate disease management in Chhattisgarh (India).
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