Figure 2.
Timeline illustrating the evolution of the characterization and classification of
Colletotrichum lupini isolates. Historical methods for the identification and classification of
Colletotrichum isolates affecting lupines have involved a combination of morphological and molecular techniques, along with the vegetative compatibility group (VCG) system. Such methods allowed Yang and Sweetingham [
28] to delineate three groups, with COL2 emerging as the predominant one. Initially designated as
Colletotrichum gloeosporioides,
C. lupini was subsequently reclassified into the
Colletotrichum acutatum species complex (CAsc) by Talhinhas et al. [
18] as strongly supported by ITS, Tub2, His4 markers. Isolates derived from anthracnose-infected lupins formed a distinct group, designated as Group A1, subsequently acknowledged as the clade representing the
C. lupini species [
23]. Nirenberg et al. [
9] first classified
C. lupini as a distinct species within CAsc, identifying two varieties:
C. lupini var. lupini and
C. lupini var. setosum. Dubrulle et al. [
17] utilized multilocus sequencing to characterize 71 isolates from western France along with 16 reference lines of
C. lupini. The findings reconciled the earlier classification systems, as they revealed the existence of two distinct groups belonging to the A1 group described by Talhinhas et al. [
18]: Group I, a smaller cluster encompassed only three strains, two of which were recognized as
C. lupini var. lupini by Nirenberg et al. [
9]; in contrast, the remaining isolates formed the larger group (group II), which included one strain identified as
C. lupini var. setosum by Nirenberg et al. [
9] and another belonging to the most abundant subgroup of A1 as described by Talhinhas et al. [
18]. The identification of only one haplotype for
C. lupini var. setosum suggested clonal dispersion leading to global dissemination [
19]. Isolates from Chile exhibited high genetic variability, highlighting the rich intra-species diversity of
C. lupini within South America, which is most likely its center of origin [
6,
29]. A recent study involving strains from five continents revealed six genetically diverse groups with ten morphotypes, all found within South America but geographically separated [
30]. Further advances in understanding
C. lupini's population structure, utilizing high-throughput genotyping through Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) on a global
Colletotrichum isolates collection, have finally unveiled four lineages (I-IV) and underscored the dynamics of
C. lupini populations, pinpointing the clonal lineage II population as the primary driver behind the global lupin anthracnose pandemic [
27]. Additionally, the recently unveiled whole-genome sequences for two reference strains provides an opportunity to deepen our understanding of
C. lupini's genetic architecture, particularly with respect to host speciation and pathogenicity factors [
14]. The icons were created using BioRender (
https://biorender.com/).