Anthracnose of sweet pepper caused by Colletotrichum scovillei in Japan

Severe fruit rot of sweet pepper was found in Shimane, Hyogo, Chiba, Toyama, and Nagano prefectures, Japan from 2005 to 2011. Dark, sunken spots with concentric rings of orange conidial masses appeared on fruits. Pathogenic isolates from diseased fruits in the prefectures were identified as Colletotrichum scovillei. This species was added to the pathogens of sweet pepper anthracnose in Japan. The representative isolate was pathogenic to sweet pepper, tomato and chili pepper fruits, kidney bean pod, azuki bean, pea and strawberry leaves, but a caused no symptoms on cucumber or carrot in inoculation tests.