Potato black dot, a tricky disease caused by Colletotrichum coccodes in Inner Mongolia of China

Abstract

Potato black dot became an increasingly severe disease in Inner Mongolia, mainly infecting tubers, causing silvery to brown lesions on tuber skin with poorly defined margins and forming black sclerotia later as a sign of skin blemish diseases which significantly affected the yield and fresh market. The C11 and E21 strains isolated from symptomatic tubers of Harqin and Dalate counties were both identified as Colletotrichum coccodes by morphological and molecular identification. Tubers showing silver or brown scurf and black dot on skin were consistent with symptomatic samples collecting from the field in pathogenicity test. This study for pathogenic identification ascertained a tricky disease of potato in Inner Mongolia of China which will lay the foundation for subsequent studies on disease control.