**3. Causal organisms**

This disease is caused by the species of genus *Colletotrichum*, which belongs to Ascomycetes. Worldwide, different species of *Colletotrichum* are reported to cause chilli anthracnose disease (**Table 1**), In India, among different species known to cause this disease, there are primarily three important species *Colletotrichum capsici* Syd. Butler and Bisby (Synonym *C. truncatum*), *C. acutatum* and *C. gloeosporioides* have been reported to be associated with the disease, however *C. truncatum* causing major damage at the ripe fruit stage of the plant [35, 52–55].

**29**

**4. Diagnosis**

**Table 1.**

Papua New Guinea

Identification of *Colletotrichum* species based on morphological characteristics (size and shape of conidia; presence of setae) and colony characteristics is generally used by several workers [56–59]; it is widely used in seed health testing labs for detection of *C. capsici* in germplasm for pest free conservation of chilli seeds [21]. As the pathogen is seed-borne, there is threat of introduction of this pathogen along with import of germplasm (including Chilli) from different countries; therefore, while importing from any other country, there is a need to examine the samples very critically including sensitive molecular diagnostic tools to prevent entry of this pathogen associated with germplasm [60]. Moreover, for the accurate identification of the pathogen at species level molecular methods are widely adapted. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was used for the accurate and sensitive detection of *C. capsici* LAMP primers (β-tubulin gene sequences based) were designed and it was reported that it could detect as little as 10 fg/μl of *C. capsici* pathogen in comparison with only upto 1 ng/μl of *C. capsici* detection using polymerase chain reaction [61]. A sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker was developed for specific and sensitive detection of *C. capsici* in chilli seeds and fruits. This markers did the amplification of an expected 250-bp fragment from genomic DNA and these markers were very much sensitive as it was reported that the marker could detect purified *C. capsici* DNA template up to 1 pg and DNA from *C. apsici* infected

*Different Colletotrichum species associated with the disease anthracnose of chilli in different countries.*

**Country Pathogen References**

*C. acutatum, C. piperatum, C. atramentaum, C. fructicola and C. siamense,* 

*C*. *truncatum* and *C*. *gloeosporioides* [41]

[22, 23]

[20, 25–35]

Australia *C. acutatum*, *C*. *atramentarium*, *C*. *dematium*, *C*. *gloeosporioides* var. minor and *C*. *gloeosporioides* var. *gloeosporioides* and *C*. *brisbanense*

India *C. capsici/ C. dematium/ C. truncatum, C. gloeosporioides, C. graminicola,* 

*C. cliviae, C. coccodes and C. karstii*

Brazil *C*. *boninense* [24]

Indonesia *C. gloeosporioides*, *C*. *truncatum* and *C*. *acutatum* [36] South Korea *C*. *acutatum*, C. *gloeosporioides*, *C*. *coccodes* and *C*. *dematium* [37] Mexico *C*. *truncatum* [23] Malaysia *C*. *truncatum* [17, 38] New Zealand *C*. *coccodes*, *C*. *kartsii*, *C*. *novae*-*zelandiae* and *C. nigrum* [39, 40]

Philippines *C*. *gloeosporioides*, *C*. *truncatum* and *C. scovillei* [42, 43] Sri Lankla *C*. *truncatum* [44, 45] Taiwan *C*. *acutatum*, *C*. *truncatum* and *C*. *gloeosporioides* [46] Thailand *C*. *acutatum*, *C*. *truncatum* and *C*. *gloeosporioides* [47, 48] USA *C*. *gloeosporioides*, *C*. *acutatum*, *C*. *truncatum* and *C*. *coccodes* [49, 50] UK *C*. *acutatum* and *Glomerella cingulata* [51] Vietnam *C*. *acutatum*, *C*. *truncatum*, *C*. *gloeosporioides* and *C*. *nigrum* [15] Zimbabwe *C*. *nymphaeae* [23]

*Anthracnose of Chilli: Status, Diagnosis, and Management*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93614*

*Anthracnose of Chilli: Status, Diagnosis, and Management DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93614*


**Table 1.**

Capsicum

transit, transport, and storage [10, 11].

**2. Anthracnose disease losses**

and oleoresin [13, 14].

**3. Causal organisms**

*anthracnose symptom.*

**Figure 1.**

pungency levels. Chilli crop is attacked with different pests and pathogens in field and during post-harvest, contamination with mycotoxins are major constraints in chilli production. Worldwide, *Capsicum* is vulnerable to various pests, weeds, fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens; among the fungal diseases, anthracnose/ die-back/fruit-rot of chillies is an important disease causing serious losses in field,

The word anthracnose derived from Greek language meaning 'coal' it is the common name of plant disease with very dark, sunken lesions and containing fungal spores [12]. Typical symptoms (**Figure 1**) of anthracnose on chilli fruit include dark spots, sunken necrotic tissue with concentric rings of acervuli. Besides fruit rot, it also causes leaf spots, dieback on stem, seedling blight, or damping off. This disease not only affects the quality of fruit by appearance of anthracnose lesion but also reduces dry weight of fruit, and quantity of capsaicin

Losses are caused by this disease worldwide; it is reported that in Vietnam it causes 20–80% yield loss [15], 10% yield loss in Korea [16], 50% yield loss in Malaysia [17] and as high as 80% yield loss (during severe epidemics) in Thailand [18]. In India, a calculated loss of 10–54% has been reported in yield due to this disease [19, 20], and this disease is reported throughout India but it found to be more common and aggressive form in Assam, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh [10]. The anthracnose pathogen has been intercepted in seed and it has been reported that there is occurrence of pathogen in seed samples, upto 5%

This disease is caused by the species of genus *Colletotrichum*, which belongs to Ascomycetes. Worldwide, different species of *Colletotrichum* are reported to cause chilli anthracnose disease (**Table 1**), In India, among different species known to cause this disease, there are primarily three important species *Colletotrichum capsici* Syd. Butler and Bisby (Synonym *C. truncatum*), *C. acutatum* and *C. gloeosporioides* have been reported to be associated with the disease, however *C. truncatum* causing

*(a) Healthy chilli plant, (b) chilli plant affected with anthracnose disease, and (c) chilli fruits showing* 

major damage at the ripe fruit stage of the plant [35, 52–55].

infection index indicates its wide spread occurrence in India [21].

**28**

*Different Colletotrichum species associated with the disease anthracnose of chilli in different countries.*
