Identification and Characterization of species Associated with Olive Anthracnose in Korea.

Olive anthracnose, caused by species, is one of the most destructive fungal diseases affecting olive fruit worldwide. With the expansion of olive cultivation into East Asia, including Jeju Island, South Korea, it is necessary to characterize local populations. This study investigated species associated with olive anthracnose in Korea and their pathogenicity. Using morphological characterization and multilocus phylogenetic analysis (ITS, , , , and ), we found that four species are associated with olive anthracnose in Korea: , , , and . Pathogenicity tests confirmed that all four species cause typical anthracnose symptoms on olives, confirming their role as causal agents of olive anthracnose in Korea.