First Report of Colletotrichum plurivorum Causing Anthracnose on the Aquatic Plant ( Nelumbo nucifera ) From Vietnam

ABSTRACT Nelumbo nucifera , commonly known as the sacred lotus, holds significant cultural, medicinal, nutritional and ecological importance in Vietnam. Despite its importance, the cultivation of this aquatic plant is frequently threatened by a variety of pathogens, which pose serious challenges to crop health and productivity. During the 2023–2024 growing season, typical symptoms of anthracnose were observed on white lotus plants ( Nelumbo nucifera cv. white). The disease initially appears as concentric circular spots with irregular dark brown patterns that typically develop in the central area of the leaves. These lesions progressively expand toward the leaf margins, eventually coalescing to form larger necrotic lesions. Morphological identification, phylogeny of five loci: ITS, GAPDH, ACT, CHS1 and TUB2 genes, and a pathogenicity test of the fungus from symptomatic inoculated plants confirmed Colletotrichum plurivorum as the causative agent of the disease. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Colletotrichum plurivorum causing anthracnose in white lotus ( Nelumbo nucifera ) in Vietnam.