Pomegranate Anthracnose       

Causal organism: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
Family: Melaconiaceae
Order: Melanconiales
Class: Coelomycetes
Sub.Division: Deuteromycotina

Anthracnose is most severe disease in  Karnataka which causes spotting and rot of pomegranate fruits leading to decrease in quality and market price.

Anthracnose

Symptoms:

1. Small, regular to irregular black spots on leaves, calyx region and fruits which turn later on as dark brown depressed spots.
2. Infected leaves turn yellow and drop off.

Brown spots on leaves

Dark brown depressed spots on fruits

 

Disease cycle:

• Primary source of inoculum: Infected leaves
• Secondary source of inoculum: wind born conidia. It also infects Mango, Guava, and Papaya etc.

Epidemiology: 

The disease is severe during August-September when there is high humidity, and the temperature between 20-27ºC.