Disease management : Anthracnose

Symptoms: Anthracnose is manifested in symptoms as die-back, twig blight, wither tip and fruit spot. On the unripe fruits small, dark brown, sunken and small spots of pin head size are observed. These spots gradually enlarge to 5 – 6 mm in diameter; coalesce to form a corky hard lesion having cracks. The ripe fruits become soft and at times drop off. Unopened buds and flowers are also shed. Foliage develops necrotic gray lesion at tips and margins. Tender branches dry from tip downward exhibiting ‘die back’. The growing tips of the branches die and necrotic and dead areas spread downwards. The leaves, flowers and fruits are sh3ed and unripe fruits remained mummified. Fruits carry the incipient infection from the field that manifests itself in storage causing rotting of fruits.

Epidemiology: The disease is mostly favoured by high humidity. During moist weather profuse production of acervuli is noticed on dead parts of twigs and the spores come out as a pinkish mass. These are further disseminated by rain or wind and cause fresh infection. The disease develops more rapidly on the ripe fruits and maximum spreads takes place at 30 °C and relative humidity of 96%.

Management: Sprayings of Bordeaux mixture (3:3:50) or Copper oxychloride (Blitox 0.2%) at weekly intervals starting from the month of July manage the disease. Among systemic fungicides Carbendazim (Bavistin 0.1%) or Thiophanate methyl (Topsin M or Roko 0.1%) provide effective disease control.