Characterization and Fungicide Sensitivity of Species Causing Strawberry Anthracnose in Eastern China.

Strawberry anthracnose caused by spp. is one of the most serious diseases in the strawberry fields of China. In total, 196 isolates of were obtained from leaves, stolons, and crowns of strawberry plants with anthracnose symptoms in eastern China and were characterized based on morphology, internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and β- () gene sequences. All 196 isolates were identified as the species complex. In total, 62 strains were further identified at the species level by phylogenetic analyses of multilocus sequences of ITS, (), (), (), (), and . Three species from the species complex were identified: , . , and . . Isolates of . were tolerant to high temperatures, with a significantly larger colony diameter than the other two species when grown above 36°C. The inoculation of strawberry plants confirmed the pathogenicity of all three species. . isolates resulted in the highest disease severity. The in vitro sensitivities of . and . isolates to azoxystrobin and three demethylation-inhibitor (DMI) fungicides (difenoconazole, tebuconazole, and prochloraz) were determined. Both species were sensitive to DMI fungicides but not to azoxystrobin. . isolates were more sensitive to prochloraz, while isolates were more sensitive to difenoconazole and tebuconazole. The present study provides valuable information for the effective management of strawberry anthracnose.