Colletotrichum camelliae Massee, a member of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex (CGSC), is an economically important fungal pathogen that causes significant damage to Camellia sinensis (tea) and other C amellia species that include ornamental crops. Although the occurrence of C. camelliae in the United States has been documented, to date most of the reports and all available genome sequences of this pathogen are from strains isolated outside the United States. Here, we report the isolation of four C. camelliae isolates ( GCC14, PS22-1, PS23, and PS24) from symptomatic Camellia japonica plants in George County, Mississippi. Whole genome sequencing of all four isolates was performed as paired-end reads of 150 bp using NovaSeq X Plus. Clean reads were de novo assembled, mapped to C. camelliae reference genome sequence, LS-19, and genome-wide variants were analyzed. Sequencing data were submitted to NCBI GenBank BioProject PRJNA1273064, and the following accession numbers were assigned: SRR34108282 (GCC14), SRR33953793 (PS22-1), SRR33955217 (PS23) and SRR33957315 & SRR33956925 (PS24). The genome sequence data reported here for C. camelliae are valuable for developing diagnostic assays for the identification, tracking, and management of this pathogen on Camellia species that include tea and ornamental crops. In addition, comparative genomics, phylogenetics, and evolutionary studies using these and other available genomes can aid in deriving insights on the diversity and pathogenicity of this pathogen, CGSC, and the Colletotrichum genus.
Leep et al. (Sun,) studied this question.