Genetic Diversity Among Colletotrichum falcatum Isolates Causing Red Rot of Sugarcane in Subtropical Region of India

Silver Genetic diversity of Colletotrichum falcatum causing red rot of sugarcane was assessed based on morphological, pathological and molecular characteristics especially from sub-tropical Indian conditions. Sixteen isolates of this pathogen were collected based on the extensive survey on prominent varieties grown in the region along with some elite selections. Morphological observations (colony colour, mycelium pattern and sporulation) grouped the isolates into two distinct types (C1: light type and C2: dark type). However, quantitative data on colony diameter showed five clusters for these isolates. Pathogenic characterization of these isolates on fourteen standard differentials formed six groups, ingroup 1: (CF-Pb-1) isolates Cf-157, Cf-249 and Cf-248 were the most virulent while group 6 (CF-Pb-6) isolates Cf-60 and Cf-247 were the least one. The genetic relatedness among the isolates using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis revealed sufficient molecular polymorphism, which in turn confirmed the variation in virulence of different isolates. The data categorized different isolates into two major clusters and five independent lineages. Polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.701 to 0.929. Isolate Cf-223 was found to be genetically most diverse among all the isolates. Present study inferred that morphological grouping of most of the isolates showed positive correlation with the pathogenic variability while molecular diversity did not showed such associations.