Anthracnose Development on Pepper Fruits Inoculated with Colletotrichum gloeosporioides . J. B. MANANDHAR, Research Fellow, International Rice Research Institute, P.O. Box 933, 1099 Manila, Philippines. G. L. HARTMAN, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801; and T. C. WANG, Associate Specialist, Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), Shanhua, Tainan 741, Taiwan, ROC. Plant Dis. 79:380-383. Accepted for publication 15 December 1994. Copyright 1995 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-79-0380.

Colletotrichum gloeosporioides caused anthracnose on pepper fruits of line PBC 510 when inoculated with a microdrop spore suspension on immature fruits one-half the normal size up to fully mature ripe red fruits. Incidence of anthracnose was greater on inoculated purple and ripe red fruits than on fruits at other developmental stages. Cuticle and exocarp thicknesses varied by fruit maturity. Disease incidence differed among eight pepper lines based on the number of days to fruit lesion development. Over 50% of the fruits in lines PBC 452, PBC 454, and PBC 595 had lesions less than 5 days after inoculation, whereas it took 6 days for fruits in three lines (PBC 365, PBC 371, and PBC 518), 8 days for fruits in line PBC 370, and 11 days for fruits in line PBC 495. Fruits of PBC 595 had the largest lesions, while fruits of PBC 518 had the smallest lesions. Conidial production was lowest on fruit lesions of PBC 495 and highest on fruit lesions of PBC 595. Disease incidence was correlated to cuticle and exocarp thicknesses. Cuticle thickness was significantly negatively correlated to conidial production (r = –0.45) and lesion expansion (r = –0.46). C. gloeosporioides infected more fruits of var. Szechwan 90714 in a given period than did C. capsici, whether or not fruits were chloroform-dipped. Anthracnose was detected more on incubated fruits that were chloro-form-dipped than water-dipped prior to inoculation