Avocado anthracnose: post-harvest damages, characterization of the causal agent, quantification of prepenetration and monocyclic parameters and chemical control. Brazil is one of the most important avocado producers in the world. However, to compete in the international avocado business it is necessary reduction of post-harvest damages, especially those caused by anthracnose. This work had the following objectives: (i) to identify and to quantify post-harvest damages in 'Fuerte' and 'Hass' avocados; (ii) to identify and to characterize the avocado isolates of Colletotrichum, comparing them with other fruit isolates; (iii) to evaluate the effect of temperature and wetness period in the conidia germination and appressoria formation, as well as in the infection and colonization of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in avocado; (iv) to evaluate the post-harvest control of anthracnose in avocado using fungicides and sanitizers. Both the anthracnose incidence and other post-harvest damages were evaluated periodically using avocado samples collected at three steps in the packinghouse. It was revealed that anthracnose was the major factor of post-harvest damages, with average incidence of 45.7% in 'Fuerte' and 68.7% in 'Hass'. Identification, characterization and comparative analyses were performed with 93 isolates from avocado, mango, passion fruit and peach according to the colony aspect and growth rate in different temperatures, conidia shape and size, molecular analyses (species-specific PCR and sequencing of ITS and β-tubulin genes), pathogenicity and enzymatic activity (amylase, catalase, cellulase, laccase, lipase, pectinase and proteinase). All of the avocado and mango isolates and some isolates from peach and passion fruit were identified as C. gloeosporioides. The species C. acutatum and C. boninense also were indentified in peach and passion fruit, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses performed with some morphological data allowed species differentiation and revealed intra-specific differences between C. gloeosporioies according to the original host. Mango isolates were grouped together into the C. gloesporioides clade. However, independently of the original host, these three Colletotrichum species showed to cross-infect the four evaluated hosts, suggesting lack of pathogenical specificity. There was high variability for all evaluated characteristic. For C. gloeosporioides, spores germination and appressoria formation on the surface of 'Fuerte' avocado incubated under 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 ºC and wetness periods of 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours showed that this fungus could explore a wide range of temperature. Germination and appressoria formation were observed between 10 and 35 ºC, with optimal temperatures of 23.4 and 24.0 ºC, respectively. Both the germination and appressoria formation were higher with the increase in the wetness period. The effect of temperature (10, 15, 20, 25, 30 ºC) and the wetness period (6, 12, 24h) were evaluated on the infection and colonization of C. gloeosporioides in 'Fuerte' and '...