Occurrence of Anthracnose on Fruits of Asian Pear Tree Caused by Colletotrichum acutatum

Anthracnose symptoms often occurred on fruits of Asian pear trees grown in Anseong, Naju, Seonghwan and Pyeongtaek in Korea during the harvesting period from 2000 to 2005. A total of 28 isolates of Colletotrichum sp. were obtained from the anthracnose symptoms. All the isolates were identified as Colletotrichum acutatum based on their morphological and cultural characteristics. Four isolates of the fungus were tested for pathogenicity to fruits of Asian pear tree by artificial inoculation. All the isolates induced anthracnose symptoms on the fruits by wound inoculation but not by unwound inoculation. The anthracnose symptoms induced by artificial inoculation were similar to those observed in the orchard. This is the first report of anthracnose of Asian pear tree caused by Colletotrichum acutatum.