MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF PATHOGENS CAUSING ANTHRACNOSE DISEASE IN CHILI FRUIT (Capsicum frutescens L.) IN BALI PROVINCE

Chili fruit found both in plantations and in markets, we often encounter anthracnose disease that damages chili fruit. The appearance of sick chili fruit is very disturbing for consumers to buy and use as a cooking flavouring. Molecular identification to determine the cause of the disease was first carried out in Bali Province, as a form of ensuring the species of fungus that damages chili fruit. The results of the study showed that fungal isolates were detected using the PCR method. Amplification was carried out with the forward primer ITS1 and reverse primer ITS4 to confirm the fungus in chili plants. Fungal DNA fragments were successfully amplified from all samples with a size of ±500 bp. The amplified DNA samples were then used for the sequencing stage to determine the fungal species. Sequencing analysis confirmed that the fungal sample on chili was the Colletotrichum capsici species with 99.6- 100% homology to several Colletotrichum capsici isolates in genebank.