Colletotrichum shisoi identified as a potential biocontrol agent of the invasive plant Perilla frutescens

Authors: Fulcher, Michael; Owen Smith, Paul

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Potomac Division Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/3/2022
Publication Date: 8/4/2022
Citation: Fulcher, M.R., Owen Smith, P.C. 2022. Colletotrichum shisoi identified as a potential biocontrol agent of the invasive plant Perilla frutescens. American Phytopathological Society Potomac Division Meeting. 112:8S, S2.18. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-112-8-S2.16.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-112-8-S2.16

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Perilla mint (Perilla frutescens) is a foreign invasive weed present in at least 30 states, where it outcompetes native vegetation in disturbed forests or pastures and can cause respiratory illness in grazing livestock. Chemical and mechanical control measures are difficult to implement because infestations are often in sensitive riparian environments, making biological control approaches desirable. A pathogen causing anthracnose was recovered from diseased plants in Maryland in 2021 and identified as Colletotrichum shisoi based on a multi-locus sequence analysis. After inoculating seven C. shisoi isolates on two genotypes of P. frutescens, a single pathogen isolate with high virulence was selected for further evaluation as a potential biological control agent. The isolate chosen was found to be pathogenic on three additional P. frutescens genotypes and caused significant reductions in shoot and root growth when inoculated on P. frutescens seedlings. These results suggest the pathogen could be an effective biological control agent.