Colletotrichum gloeosporioides isolates causing different anthracnose diseases on Stylosanthes in Australia carry distinct double-stranded RNAs

The electrophoretic patterns of conidial protein and mycelial double-stranded (ds) RNA were investigated in 14 Australian isolates of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides . All isolates showed virtually identical patterns of conidial proteins but there was considerable variation in their dsRNA components. Each of seven isolates causing Type A anthracnose contained only two major dsRNA bands which were either absent or present in only minor amounts in seven Type B isolates. Considerable variation was observed between different Type B isolates but all isolates contained three major bands which were absent in Type A isolates, thus providing biochemical evidence to confirm the existence of two distinct pathogen populations in Australia.