Isolation and Morphological Characterization of Monilinia sp. KV-27 Associated with Apple Anthracnose of Fuji Apples in Korea

This study was undertaken to isolate and to identify a fungal pathogen Monilinia sp. KV-27 associated with apple anthracnose. Rotted Fuji apples were used for the isolation of the fungus. The infected tissues were sterilized with 70% ethanol, washed with sterilized distilled water and were transferred to 50 ml containing potato dextrose broth (PDB) flasks. The peripheral hyphae of the fungal colony which developed from the infected tissues were isolated on to potato dextrose agar (PDA). On PDA plates the fungus grew well at $25^{\circ}C$ and occupied more than half of a 9 cm petri dish within 5 days. The fungal cultures on PDA were used for morphological observation and identification of the fungus. Conidiophores were produced on the gray to whitish sporodochial structures scattered on PDA plates. These conidiophores gave rise to chains of conidia, which were branched and easily detached in water. These structures were dark brown to black and consisted of hyphal masses. Conidia produced on PDA plates were hyline or light colored, lemon shaped or ellipsoidal ($10-13{\times}8.5-11{\mu}m$) in size.