Biology of Colletotrichum spp and Management of Chilli Anthracnose in Konkan Region of Maharashtra

Abstract

newline Chilli (Capsicum annumm L.) is globally significant crop, extensively newlinecultivated for its dual roles as both a culinary staple and a valuable medicinal newlineresource. India, in particular, holds a pivotal position in the global chilli market, being newlinea major exporter, producer and consumer of this versatile crop. Indian states, newlineincluding Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha and Tamil Nadu, are newlinerenowned for their substantial contributions to chilli production. newlineRice based cropping system is the tradition of Konkan region. Konkan region newlineof Maharashtra is not known for commercial chilli production due to heavy rains and newlinehigh humidity, the improved and hybrid varieties of chilli cannot be cultivated newlinesuccessfully. The humid climate favors incidence of various diseases like powdery newlinemildew, anthracnose as well as fruit rot. The local varieties are mainly suffering from newlineincidence of Anthracnose on leaves and fruit from last few years due changing newlineclimatic conditions. This disease is found as emerging problem in commercial newlinecultivation of chilli creating a challenge for traditional chilli growers of Konkan newlineregion of Maharashtra. Considering increasing severity of this disease in Konkan newlineregion of Maharashtra, present study was undertaken with the aims to develop newlinemanagement strategy of Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum spp. newlineThe outcome of present investigation revealed that in the roving survey newlineconducted in four districts of Konkan region, the maximum per cent disease intensity newlinewas recorded in Malvan (45.20) tehsil of Sindhudurg district. The collected isolates newlinewere serially numbered as CC1-CC10. newlineThe pathogenicity test of ten selected isolates was performed...The symptoms newlineon artificially inoculated fruits were in concurrence with those infected naturally. newlineThe colonies of all the 10 isolates under study, exhibited mostly cottony or newlinefluffy mycelium with distinctly regular margin. newlineThe observations on morphological features of the selected 10 isolates of C. newlinetruncatum divulged that, th