Anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.) is an important disease causing major yield losses and poor oil quality in olives. The objectives were to determine the diversity and distribution pattern of Colletotrichum spp. populations prevalent in olives and their relatedness to anthracnose pathogens in other hosts, assess their pathogenic variability and host preference, and develop diagnostic tools. A total of 128 Colletotrichum spp. isolates representing all olive-growing areas in Portugal and a few isolates from other countries were characterized by molecular and phenotypic assays and compared with reference isolates. Arbitrarily primed PCR data, internal transcribed spacer of rRNA gene and ␤-tubulin 2 nucleotide sequences, colony characteristics, and benomyl sensitivity showed Colletotrichum acutatum to be dominant (>97%) with limited occurrence of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (<3%). Among C. acutatum populations, five molecular groups, A2 to A6, were identified. A2 was widely prevalent (89%), coinciding with a high incidence of anthracnose and environmental conditions suitable to disease spread. A4 was dominant in a particular region, while other C. acutatum groups and C. gloeosporioides were sporadic in their occurrence, mostly related to marginal areas of olive cultivation. C. gloeosporioides, isolated from olive fruits with symptoms indistinguishable from those of C. acutatum, showed same virulence rating as the most virulent C. acutatum isolate from group A2. C. acutatum and C. gloeosporioides isolates tested in infected strawberry fruits and strawberry and lupin plants revealed their cross-infection potential. Diagnostic tools were developed from ␤-tubulin 2 sequences to enable rapid and reliable pathogen detection and differentiation of C. acutatum groups.

Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum sp., is a serious problem of lupins (Lupinus spp.) worldwide. Morphological characters and molecular markers were used to characterize 43 Colletotrichum isolates from lupins, 8 isolates from other hosts, and 18 reference isolates representing related Colletotrichum spp., to assess the pathogen diversity and resolve its taxonomy. All lupin Colletotrichum isolates tested positive with C. acutatum-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and did not test positive with C. gloeosporioides-specific PCR. Spore shape and colony diameter as well as insensitivity to benomyl grouped the lupin anthracnose isolates closer to C. acutatum than to C. gloeosporioides. Analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of 57 Colletotrichum isolates grouped all lupin isolates with C. acutatum and distinct from C. gloeosporioides. Further, tub2 and his4 sequences revealed groups concordant with ITS, reducing the excessive dependence on the latter. Arbitrarily primed-PCR and amplified fragment length polymorphism analyses revealed intraspecific subgroups, but neither was useful to decipher species level relationships. ITS, tub2, and his4 results strongly support designating lupin anthracnose pathogen as C. acutatum or its subspecies. Most Colletotrichum isolates from lupins from worldwide locations are genetically homogeneous and form a distinct subgroup within C. acutatum. Present results also underline the potential of the C. acutatum-specific PCR for routine pathogen diagnosis.

Anthracnose is an important disease affecting mature olive fruits, causing significant yield losses, and poor fruit and oil quality. In Portugal, high anthracnose incidence was recorded during 2003-2007 with 41% of 908 orchards surveyed displaying disease symptoms. In another 14% of the orchards, the pathogen was recorded in symptomless plants. Disease severity was on average 36%, frequently reaching 100%. In Portugal, anthracnose is endemic to neglected orchards of susceptible cultivars, but under favourable conditions it can also severely affect less susceptible cultivars. Pathogens were genetically heterogeneous, with Colletotrichum acutatum genetic group A2 as the most frequent (80%), followed by group A4 (12%) and group A5 along with C. gloeosporioides (3-4%), while groups A3 and A6 of C. acutatum were sporadic. Important geographic variations were observed in the frequencies of these populations, accompanied by year-to-year populational shifts. Epidemiology and histopathology studies showed the presence of the pathogens on vegetative organs year-round, particularly on olive leaves and branches, and on weeds. These represent inoculum reservoirs where secondary conidiation occurs, and conidia are then dispersed by spring rains reaching flowers and young fruits or by autumn rains reaching pre-mature fruits. Unripe fruits were colonized without showing symptoms up to penetration of the cuticle, but further colonization and symptom production was completed only as fruits matured. These findings challenge current control practices, particularly the timing of fungicide treatment, and contribute to improved disease management.

Protein crops have gained increasing interest in recent years, as a transition towards plant-protein based diets appears pivotal to ensure global food security and preserve the environment. The Andean species Lupinus mutabilis emerges as an ideal protein crop with great potential for Europe and other regions with temperate climates. This species is characterized by oil and protein content similar to soybean and is highly valued for its adaptability to colder climates and low input agriculture on marginal land. However, its introduction outside the Andes has yet to take off. To date, L. mutabilis remains an under-studied crop, lacking high yield, early maturity and a consistent breeding history. This review paper identifies L. mutabilis limitations and potential uses, and suggests the main breeding targets for further improvement of this crop. It also highlights the potential of new molecular tools and available germplasm resources that can now be used to establish L. mutabilis as a viable protein crop.

Lupinus mutabilis (tarwi) is a species of Andean origin with high protein and oil content and regarded as a potential crop in Europe. The success in the introduction of this crop depends in part on in depth knowledge of the intra-specific genetic variability of the collections, enabling the establishment of breeding and conservation programs. In this study, we used morphological traits, Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat markers and genome size to assess genetic and genomic diversity of 23 tarwi accessions under Mediterranean conditions. Phenotypic analyses and yield component studies point out accession LM268 as that achieving the highest seed production, producing large seeds and efficiently using primary branches as an important component of total yield, similar to the L. albus cultivars used as controls. By contrast, accession JKI-L295 presents high yield concentrated on the main stem, suggesting a semi-determinate development pattern. Genetic and genomic analyses revealed important levels of diversity, however not relatable to phenotypic diversity, reflecting the recent domestication of this crop. This is the first study of genome size diversity within L. mutabilis, revealing an average size of 2.05 pg/2C (2001 Mbp) with 9.2% variation (1897, prompting further studies for the exploitation of this diversity.