& Broome, (1850) Colletotrichum coccodes is a plant pathogen, which causes anthracnose on tomato and black dot disease of potato.

[1] Fungi survive on crop debris and disease emergence is favored by warm temperatures and wet weather.

[2] C. coccodes is known for infecting potato and tomato, and is primarily a pathogen of Solanaceous plants more generally.

[3] C. coccodes has a large host range beyond those[3] including some Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, and Solanaceae.

[2] In potato, C. coccodes is characterized by silvery lesions on the tuber surface which result in a deterioration in skin quality.

In addition to causing tuber blemish symptoms, C. coccodes also causes symptoms on stems and foliage, which result in crop losses, and is implicated as a factor in the potato early dying disease complex.

[1] Colletotrichum coccodes can survive the winter as hard, melanized structures called sclerotia.

In late spring the lower leaves and fruit may become infected by germinating sclerotia and spores in the soil debris.

The growth of C. coccodes is most rapid at 80 °F (27 °C), although the fungus can cause infections over a wide range of temperatures between 55–95 °F (13–35 °C).