Article Information Citrus is economically important fruit crop in Ethiopia. However, its production is seriously constrained by various diseases including Pseudocercospora leaf and fruit spot. Surveys were conducted between June 2012 and May 2013 in the main citrus production areas of the country to assess the spread of the disease, and to determine its incidence and severity. A total of forty-nine citrus orchards in twenty-eight districts were surveyed. Random sampling techniques were used for data collection. The results showed that the disease had prevailed and widely spread in the districts assessed in the wet humid areas of the south, southwest, northwest, and north central parts, but not in the low altitude drier areas of the central rift valley and the eastern region of the country. Accordingly, 63.3% of the orchards surveyed were infected with the disease. The overall mean incidences of the disease on leaves of sweet orange, mandarin, lemon and lime were 36.2, 21.5, 17.1 and 16.3% while disease severity ratings were 2.6, 2.3, 2.0 and 1.7, respectively. Similarly, the average incidences and severities on fruits were 63.8, 29.4, 18.0 and 16.7%, and 4.0, 3.0, 2.0 and 2.0, in the same order. However, disease incidences in the different orchards ranged from zero to 76.7% on leaves and from zero to 100% on fruits. Disease severity ratings also varied from one to five on both leaves and fruits. In general, citrus orchards in the south and southwest Ethiopia that are known to have high rainfall and humidity conditions were more severely affected by the disease than those in the northwest and north central parts of the country. In these areas, respondents indicated that many farmers completely abandoned their citrus trees due to this disease. The causative agent was also identified to be the fungus Pseudocercospora angolensis based on cultural and morphological characteristics, and pathogenicity tests of representative isolates obtained from infected leaf and fruit samples.
Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is one of the most important fruit crops in Ethiopia. Despite its importance, papaya production is hampered by different biotic and abiotic factors. Among biotic factors, anthracnose is an important disease, causing serious damage to papaya, especially in the postharvest stage. The surveys were conducted in eight kebeles (smallest administrative unit) of three districts (Adama, Adamitulu Jidokombolcha, and Dugda) in the East Shewa Zone of the Oromia regional state, Ethiopia from August to September 2016 and August to September 2021, to assess the prevalence, incidence, and severity of papaya anthracnose disease. Disease incidence and severity on leaves and fruits were determined using random sampling techniques. Cultural and morphological characterization of the causal agent of papaya anthracnose was also done. The survey results showed that all the eight kebeles assessed during 2016 and 2021 were affected by papaya anthracnose disease. The overall mean incidences of the disease were 63.9% on the leaves and 40.3% on the fruits while average disease severities were 24.8% and 22.8%, respectively. Disease incidences in different kebeles ranged from 60 to 66.7% on leaves and from 30 to 48.9% on fruits. Disease severity also varied from 21.1 to 29.8% on leaves and from 20 to 26.7% on fruits. Disease incidences and severities were generally higher in Wolda Kelina kebele. In 2021, the assessment result indicated that in Dugda and Adamitulu Jidokombolcha districts anthracnose was a major papaya production constraint. Based on field symptomatic assessment as well as cultural and morphological characterization, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was identified as the causal agent of the disease threatening papaya production in the surveyed areas. These findings provide information on the magnitude of the damage due to papaya anthracnose disease and will be useful to devise disease management strategies. It is necessary to investigate the reactions of the available papaya cultivars against the pathogen and select disease tolerant papaya materials.
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