Anthracnose of Perilla Caused by Colletotrichum spp. and Glomerella cingulata

Serve outbreaks of anthracnose were observed on perilla plants grown in greenhouses and open fields in several locations in Korea during the disease survey from 1997 to 2000. A total of 53 isolates of Colletotrichum spp. and Glomerella sp. was obtained from diseased perilla plants and identified based on their morphological and cultural characteristics. Forty isolates were identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, three isolates as C. coccodes, five isolates as C. dematium, and the other five isolates as Glomerella cingulata, the teleomorph of C. gloeosporioides. All isolates of C. gloeosporioides tested by artificial inoculation were strongly virulent on perilla plants, but isolates of the other species were weakly or not virulent. Anthracnose symptoms induced on the perilla plants by artificial inoculation with the isolates of C. gloeosporioides were similar to those observed in the fields. This study revealed that C. gloeosporioides is the main causal fungus of perilla anthracnose.