Cultural characterization of Colletotrichum graminicola causing anthracnose of sorghum

Abstract

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolour (L.) Moench) is a major staple food crop and the fifth most important cereal crop in the world. However, its production in India is adversely affected by different biotic and abiotic constraints and among them sorghum anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum Gramin cola is one of the most damaging diseases. It is also responsible for major economic loss of sorghum production worldwide, especially in tropical and sub-tropical countries. In the present study, an in vitro experiment was conducted to account for the influence of nutritional and physiological factors on vegetative growth of the pathogen. Among the six different media tested, Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Oatmeal Agar (OMA) were found best suitable for mycelial growth of the pathogen. The optimum temperatures for C. graminicola were 30 °C and 25 °C. C. graminicola grows best at pH-6.5 followed by pH-7. The present finding can assist in understanding the growth nature of the pathogen as well as adoption of better management practices.