Colletotrichum theobromicola causes defoliation, stem girdling and death of mini-cuttings of eucalyptus in Brazil

Eucalyptus plantations cover approximately 5.1 million hectares of Brazil, an area that will likely increase given the demand for natural products from planted forests. In recent years, anthracnose diseases have been frequently found on eucalyptus in Brazilian nurseries. In 2012, rooted mini-cuttings of clones of E. urophylla x E. grandis ("urograndis") exhibiting leaf spot and stem girdling symptoms were collected from nurseries in the Brazilian states of Pará and Minas Gerais, and cultures of Colletotrichum were obtained from the lesions. The isolates were initially identified to species of...