Anthracnose - a devastating pre and post-harvest disease in mango.
Swamy J. S.
Author Affiliation: Department of Horticulture, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh (Gujarat), India.
International Journal of Plant Protection 5 : 429-437
Abstract : Anthracnose is presently recognized as the most important pre and post harvest fungal disease of mango world wide caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz. The post-harvest phase is the most damaging and economically significant phase of the disease worldwide. This phase is directly linked to the field phase where initial infection usually starts on young twigs and leaves and spreads to the flowers, causing blossom blight and destroying the inflorescences and even preventing fruit' set. It is major constraint on the expansion of export trade of mango causing substantial yield losses which can reach 60 per cent or higher during the heavy rainy season. Causing direct yield loss in the field and packing plant, and quality and affects the marketable fruit rendering it worthless. The successful management of anthracnose relies on understanding the conditions that promote disease development, and the economics, efficacy and market acceptability of the various control measures, mango cultivar that is grown, the production area, and the intended final market, an integration of two or more tactics may be needed. A review of the etiology and epidemiology of the disease is provided below as background for the various approaches that have been used to manage the disease.