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Mycologia, ASCOMYCOTINA, POLYSTIGMATALES, PHYLLACORACEAE .

Crops attacked: almond .

Anthracnose of almond

Identification, Description, Biology, Epidemiology, Treatement, Possible misleading, Images

[R]Description
Minor canker and die-back on the shoots of almond trees.
Fruits strongly affected showing extended sunken lesions covered with whitish mycelium where salmon coloured masses of spores formed by the acervuli are observed.
The disease causes drop of young fruits in high percentage.

[R]Biology
The susceptibility to the disease depends on the state of the development of the fruit.
In early attacks, the lesions cause destruction of the almond, that becomes a shrivelled mass covered with white greyish mycelium.
In late infection, do not progress through the endocarp and the almond develops normally but difficults the shelling.

[R]Epidemiology
The fungus can penetrate directly through developed appressoria, specially when the fruits are wet.
The pathogen prefers the warmer zones of almond growing regions (optimum temperature for conidia germination 31 °C).

[R]Treatement
Different susceptibility to the fungus, amongst almond cultivars have been recorded.
In Spain chemical control is necessary on the anamorph Gloeosporium amygdalinum .
Chemical control with copper and dithiocarbamate products.

[R]Possible misleading
Fruit drop caused by this disease can be confused with drop induced by deficient pollinization or pollen incompatibility.

[R] Images

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