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Damage Symptoms
Anthracnose may occur in the
field or develop as a postharvest decay of pepper pods. Typically,
symptoms first appear on mature pods as small, water-soaked,
sunken lesions that rapidly expand. The lesions may increase
to 3-4 cm in diameter on large-podded fruit. Fully expanded lesions
are sunken and range from dark red to light tan. Pale buff to
salmon spore masses occur scattered or in concentric rings on
the lesions.
Occasionally, lesions develop
on immature pods. Pre- and postemergence damping off, shoot necrosis,
and leaf spots are other symptoms expressed in some geographic
areas.
Conditions for Development
The disease occurs wherever pepper
is grown under overhead irrigation or rainfed conditions. Immature
pods are infected, but generally symptoms are not expressed until
the pod becomes fully mature and undergoes the final color change.
The pathogens can be seed borne in pepper, persist in crop debris,
and have a wide host range.
Control
Pathogen-free seed and crop rotation
are important elements in disease management. Application of
fungicide sprays can reduce disease losses.
Since anthracnose symptoms usually
occur on mature fruit, harvest and utilize the fruit in the green
stage or harvest mature fruit frequently and process the fruit
immediately. |