Project Number: 1275-22000-253-01
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 10, 2008
End Date: Sep 14, 2012

Objective:
To develop a comprehensive systematic account of the plant pathogenic and endophytic fungi in the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides complex based on a multigene phylogeny.

Approach:
The University of Maryland (UMD) is engaged in research including plant pathogenic and endophytic fungi in the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides complex. UMD and ARS will work collaboratively to sequence isolates of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides for several genes including LSU, ITS, EF1alpha, and possibly also beta tubulin. Isolates will be obtained from as many sources as possible including plant pathogenic isolates and endophytes isolated from woody and leaf plant tissues. Sequences will be analyzed to determine if there are cryptic species within this complex. Once cryptic species have been delimited, each isolate will be examined to determine the micromorpholoy and cultural characteristics that may or may not correlate with the species as determined by the molecular phylogeny.