First Report of Colletotrichum nymphaeae Causing Leaf Spot on Polygonatum kingianum in China
Yanqiu Qin, Lina Wei, Xiaojuan Wei, Xiaoshan Zhou, Yi Li, Shunjiang Chen, Zhiping ZhangABSTRACT
Huang‐jing (Polygonatum kingianum), an important herb in traditional Chinese medicine, is susceptible to anthracnose, a destructive foliar disease caused by Colletotrichum spp. In September 2020, irregular brown leaf spots were observed on P. kingianum plants in Yunnan Province, China. A Colletotrichum isolate was identified from the infected leaves, and its morphological features matched Colletotrichum nymphaeae. The fungus was further confirmed using molecular techniques, with gene sequences showing 99.27% to 100% homology to known C. nymphaeae strains. A pathogenicity test demonstrated that the fungus caused anthracnose symptoms in plants. This study represents the first report of C. nymphaeae causing anthracnose in P. kingianum in China, providing essential baseline data to inform future development of disease management strategies for this medicinal species.