Effect of Chitosan on Morphological Change Of Colletotrichum capsici (Sydow) Butler & Bisby

Abstract

Worldwide, postharvest losses
have been estimated at 50% and
much of this is due to fungal and
bacterial infection. One of the
important funguses that attack the
postharvest product is fungus
Colletotrichum capsici (Sydow)
Butler & Bisby. This fungus
caused anthracnose disease (Figure
1 and 2).

The symptom of anthracnose is
black lesion, usually sunken caused
by imperfect fungi that produce
conidia in ecervuli. Conidia are
borne on acervuli, witch are
erumpent, cushion-like masses of
conidiophores. The conidia are
hyaline, one celled, avoid to
oblong. The mycelium of
pathogen is septate , inter-and
intracellular. Acervuli and stroma
in the stem are hemispherical and
70-120 μ in diameter. Setae are
scattered and dark brown. The
tips are light brown and several
septate and up to 150 μ in length.
Conidiophores are aseptate and
unbranched. Conidia in mass
appear light pinkish in color.
Conidia are borne singly at the tips
of the conidiophores. Individually
they are hyaline, unicellular and
caved with narrowed ends. These
measure 7-28 x 3-4 μ. This is the

characteristic oil globule in the
center of each conidium. Conidia
germinate in water within four
hours. The germ tube soon forms
an appressorium (Mehrorta, 1980).