In vitro Evaluation of Various Culture Media for Growth of Colletotrichum graminicola causing Anthracnose of Sorghum

Anthracnose incited by Colletotrichum graminicola (Ces) Wils. is one of the most destructive and wide spread disease, causing yield losses of 21-70 per cent. The fungus C. graminicola cause anthracnose and leaf blight disease in sorghum. Sorghum plants affected with C. graminicola show small red coloured spots on both surface of leaf; the centre of the spot is white in colour encircled by red, purple or brown margins. Numerous small black dots are seen on the white surface of the lesions which are the fruiting bodies (acervuli) of the fungus. Many lesions coalesce and kill large leaf portion, in midrib region elongate elliptical, red or purple regions with black acervuli are formed. Stalk and inflorescences infection can be characterized externally by the development of circular canker. To check the growth of pathogen on various culture media total of eight culture media viz., the most suitable media were Potato dextrose agar with maximum radial mycelia growth (89.00 mm), followed by media Sorghum stem extract agar (79.66 mm), Sorghum root extract agar (76.00 mm) and Oat meal agar (70.00 mm). The colonies produced were mostly dirty white. Potato dextrose agar, Sorghum stem extract agar and Sorghum root extract agar recorded excellent (++++) conidial production, whereas, it was Good (+++) on Corn meal agar, Richard’s agar and Oat meal agar.