Phenotypic, molecular and pathogenic characterization of infecting species in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Anthracnose is a disease caused by spp., one of the world's most damaging sweet and chili pepper pathogens, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, anthracnose is one of the main obstacles for pepper crops. However, to date no research has focused on the identification and characterization of the pathogen, which is fundamental to understand the scope of the disease in the state. Thus, the correct identification of the fungal species and pathogenicity studies can provide important support for disease management and control, apart from identifying possible resistance sources for exploitation in peppers breeding programs. In this study, 11 isolates were collected from peppers with typical symptoms in the Rio de Janeiro state. These isolates were characterized based on morpho-cultural characteristics and sequencing data from five regions (ITS, ACT, CAL, β-TUB and GAPDH), and the genetic variability was estimated by AFLP markers. Simultaneously, microscopy images of the colonization by the fungal species on unripe fruits were taken. Pathogenicity was tested and resistance sources were sought by means of infection of ripe and unripe fruits of 50 accessions. The resulting data showed that all isolates belong to specie. About the pathogenicity of , differentiated, stage-specific responses, with higher resistance of ripe fruits were recorded. In addition, four possible sources of resistance were detected among the tested accessions. The combination of these data can contribute to future studies on the interaction of - spp., a research line that is still unexploited in the main areas of this anthracnose fungus.