Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum graminicola, has been the most destructive disease affecting sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) crops in Brazil. Three phases of the disease are recognized: foliar anthracnose, anthracnose stalk rot, and panicle and grain anthracnose. Foliar anthracnose, the most destructive phase of the disease, usually appears 30-40 days after emergence, during growth stage 4.0 or later. Colletotrichum graminicola may survive as mycelium, conidia and microsclerotia, up to 18 months in crop debris, on or above the soil surface, in alternate hosts, and as mycelium in infected seeds. Microsclerotia are produced in sorghum stalks of susceptible cultivars and survive better in crop debris on the soil surface. This pathogen is a highly variable organism, as demonstrated through virulence on differential host genotypes and molecular markers. Implications of this variability on the development of management strategies through genetic resistance are discussed in this paper.
