Due to the importance of common bean angular leaf spot in the state of Mina
s Gerais-Brazil and to the great variability of the pathogen, Phaeoisariops
is griseola, monitoring races becomes an important tool for breeding progra
ms aiming at genetic resistance. The pathogenic variability of 30 isolates
of the P. griseola, collected from various locations in the state of Minas
Gerais, was studied using the following common bean differential series (Do
n Timoteo, Bolon Bayo, Montcalm, G 5686, Amendoin, G 11796, BAT 332, PAN 72
, Cornell 49-242, Mexico 54, Flor de Mayo and G 2858). The first trifoliate
leaf was inoculated with a 2 x 10(4) conidia/mL. Plants were maintained at
20-22 degreesC and 95% relative humidity for 48 hours. Symptom evaluation
was performed 15 days after inoculation. Thirteen races were identified dem
onstrating the wide genetic variability of the pathogen in the state of Min
as Gerais. Race 63.63 was the most virulent, whereas race 63.23 was the mos
t frequent (10 of 30 isolates), being widely distributed among the regions
studied. The virulence phenotype indicated that the races studied belonged
to the Mesoamerican group, which was confirmed when the 30 isolates were co
mpared to Andean and Mesoamerican standards using RAPD markers.