Host specificity and pathogenicity of fungal pathogen isolated from black pepper anthracnose / Azrul Ezwan Shah Abdul Wahab and Nuraini Mohd Noor

This study was conducted to determine the host range of fungi isolates from black pepper leaves and virulence of the isolates on Piper nigrum L. Capsicum frutescens and Capsicum annuum. The isolated fungi was grown on a Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media, and after 5 days of growth both fungi were inoculated (5mm x 5mm) onto those three pepper species leaves with three treatments which are wounded(Tl). unwounded(T2) and control(T3). Three isolates of each Colletotrichum gleosporioisea and Fusarium oxysporum were inoculated and stored in a clearplastic container containing 20ml of distilled water for humidity and resulted in significant interactions between pathogen isolates and pepper species. The black pepper leaves and the red pepper leaves became infected with both Fusarium oxysporum and Colletotrichum gleosporioisea and developed symptoms. Pepper nigrum L were found to be hosts of Fusarium oxysporum for the first time. Colletotrichum gleosporioisea isolates were more virulent on black pepper leaves than on red pepper species leaves. Bird's eye chilli and black pepper were the most susceptible hosts of Colletotrichum gleosporioisea, 19.25% and 23.41% of disease severity index. Both fungi grown were re-isolated from all of the symptomatic leaves (7mm x 7mm) on to PDA media for identification based on morphological characteristics.