Chilli Anthracnose

Causal organism: Colletotrichum capsici

Family: Melaconiaceae

Order: Melanconiales

Class: Coelomycetes

Sub.Division: Deuteromycotina

Anthracnose is an economically important disease of chilli affecting both fruit and seed quality. The disease is more severe in all southern states.

Anthracnose

Symptoms:

1. Symptoms are seen on leaf, stem and fruit.
2. Small, circular spots on the skin of the fruit and expanded in the direction of long axis of the fruit.
3. The fruits with many spots drop off prematurely resulting in heavy loss of yield.
4. Fungus may also attack the fruit stalk and spread along the stem causing dieback symptoms.

Irregular brown coloured spots on leaves	Water soaked lesions on fruits	Initial symptoms of anthracnose
Spores arranged in concentric rings	Symptom are extending in long axis	Die- back sym

Disease cycle:

Primary source of inoculum: Infected seeds and diseased crop debris

Secondary source of inoculum: Conidia dispersed by rain splash and wind. It also infect Tomato, Potato, Brinjal, wild brinjal are the other hosts.

Epidemiology:

• Ideal temperature is 28-32 ºC. The pathogen infects the host at a minimum temperature of 22-25º C.
• Relative humidity: An RH of above 80 % is ideal. Heavy prolonged dew deposition is important for die-back development.