First Report on Colletotrichum acutatum of Olives in Morocco
Soukaina Msairi
Laboratory of Botany, Biotechnology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, P.O.Box 133, Kenitra, Morocco.
Mohamed Chliyeh
Laboratory of Botany, Biotechnology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, P.O.Box 133, Kenitra, Morocco.
Youssef Rhimini
Laboratory of Botany, Biotechnology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, P.O.Box 133, Kenitra, Morocco.
Karima Selmaoui
Laboratory of Botany, Biotechnology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, P.O.Box 133, Kenitra, Morocco.
Afifa Mouria
Laboratory of Botany, Biotechnology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, P.O.Box 133, Kenitra, Morocco.
Amina Ouazzani Touhami
Laboratory of Botany, Biotechnology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, P.O.Box 133, Kenitra, Morocco.
Rachid Benkirane
Laboratory of Botany, Biotechnology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, P.O.Box 133, Kenitra, Morocco.
Allal Douira *
Laboratory of Botany, Biotechnology and Plant Protection, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, P.O.Box 133, Kenitra, Morocco.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Anthracnose is an important disease affecting the yield and quality of olive production (olives, olive oil). Symptoms of anthracnose, circular soft decayed spots were observed on olives in the region of Ouazzane (North of Morocco) and Sefrou (Middle Atlas). The isolation of fungi from these olives has shown the presence of several fungal species, cases of Colletotrichum sp. (58%), Alternaria alternata (23%) and Aspergillus niger (12%) and other species (7%) respectively. Microscopic observations based on morphological criteria made it possible to note that the Colletotrichum genus is represented by two species: Colletotrichum glosporoides and Colletotrichum acutatum. The Koch’s postulate was applied to study the pathogenicity of this last species encountered for the first time in Morocco. The olives inoculated with Colletotrichum acutatum showed circular decayed spots on which viscous masses of orange spores were developed. After five days of inoculation by mycelial cuttings of C. acutatum, the diameter of the spots was 1.866 cm in injured inoculated olives and 0.283 cm in not injured olives, in the case of inoculation by spraying a spore suspension, the olives were completely decayed.
Keywords: Morocco, olive tree, olives, Colletotrichum acutatum, Koch’s postulate, decay