Distinct infection and colonization strategies in cowpea leaves by three Colletotrichum species recently reported in Nigeria
- 1Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
Abstract
Cowpea, a crop of great importance in several regions in West Africa, faces many biotic and abiotic challenges. Several species of the genus Colletotrichum cause cowpea anthracnose disease (CAD), a major constraint to cowpea production severely affecting foliage and yield. Three Colletotrichum species: C. cliviicola, C. truncatum, and C. chrysophilum recently reported as causal agents of CAD in Nigeria were investigated in their infective processes and pathogenicity on cowpea leaves using histopathological and microscopic examination of stained leaf tissues. Inoculated leaves were examined at intervals to monitor fungal establishment, colonization, and reproductive development within host tissues. The three species completed the infection cycle, progressing from conidial germination and host penetration to tissue colonization, and sporulation. However, differences in both infective ability and pathogenicity were observed in representative isolates of each species. C. truncatum isolate was the most virulent, had extensive branching hyphae, produced severe tissue necrosis, abundant acervuli, and prominent seta formation. C. cliviicola also had substantial colonization and sporulation ability with dense conidial masses and mature acervuli. In contrast, C. chrysophilum had moderate infectivity with less extensive reproductive structures and tissue degradation. Here we provide the first histopathological report of infection and pathogenic development of these three species recently reported as causal agents of CAD
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BibTeX
@misc{dada2026distinct,
title = {{Distinct infection and colonization strategies in cowpea leaves by three Colletotrichum species recently reported in Nigeria}},
author = {A. O. Dada and V. O. Dania and O. A. Oyatomi and M. T. Abberton and A. Ortega-Beltran},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.01.755927},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.01.755927v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Distinct infection and colonization strategies in cowpea leaves by three Colletotrichum species recently reported in Nigeria
AU - A. O. Dada
AU - V. O. Dania
AU - O. A. Oyatomi
AU - M. T. Abberton
AU - A. Ortega-Beltran
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.01.755927
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.01.755927v1
AB - Cowpea, a crop of great importance in several regions in West Africa, faces many biotic and abiotic challenges. Several species of the genus Colletotrichum cause cowpea anthracnose disease (CAD), a major constraint to cowpea production severely affecting foliage and yield. Three Colletotrichum species: C. cliviicola, C. truncatum, and C. chrysophilum recently reported as causal agents of CAD in Nigeria were investigated in their infective processes and pathogenicity on cowpea leaves using histopathological and microscopic examination of stained leaf tissues. Inoculated leaves were examined at intervals to monitor fungal establishment, colonization, and reproductive development within host tissues. The three species completed the infection cycle, progressing from conidial germination and host penetration to tissue colonization, and sporulation. However, differences in both infective ability and pathogenicity were observed in representative isolates of each species. C. truncatum isolate was the most virulent, had extensive branching hyphae, produced severe tissue necrosis, abundant acervuli, and prominent seta formation. C. cliviicola also had substantial colonization and sporulation ability with dense conidial masses and mature acervuli. In contrast, C. chrysophilum had moderate infectivity with less extensive reproductive structures and tissue degradation. Here we provide the first histopathological report of infection and pathogenic development of these three species recently reported as causal agents of CAD
ER -