Colletotrichum gloeosporioides isolates causing different anthracnose diseases on Stylosanthes in Australia carry distinct double-stranded RNAs

The electrophoretic patterns of conidial protein and mycelial double-stranded (ds) RNA were investigated in 14 Australian isolates of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. All isolates showed virtually identical patterns of conidial proteins but there was considerable variation in their dsRNA components. Each of seven isolates causing Type A anthracnose contained only two major dsRNA bands which were either absent or present in only minor amounts in seven Type B isolates. Considerable variation was observed between different Type B isolates but all isolates contained three major bands which were absent in Type A isolates, thus providing biochemical evidence to confirm the existence of two distinct pathogen populations in Australia.