Post-harvest development of anthracnose in pepper (Capsicum spp): Etiology and management strategies

Abstract

Chilli anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum spp, is one of the main causes for post-harvest decay of chilli. It can develop on the field, during long distant transport, cold storage and shelf-life. In conventional agriculture, the whole plant including the fruits, are sprayed with fungicides as a prerequisite for post-harvest control of chilli anthracnose. Due to consumer concerns regarding the use of synthetic fungicides and the demand for safer storage methods, the use of synthetic fungicides is no longer allowed for the post-harvest control of chilli anthracnose. As a result, studies on alternative methods to control post-harvest decay have been developed over the years along with the demand for safer storage methods. In this review, results published within the last decade have been summarized and alternative approaches to synthetic fungicides for post-harvest control of chilli anthracnose were discussed in detail. Overall, the use of natural antimicrobials, biocontrol agents, resistant cultivars and ozone shows promise as treatments that can be adopted on a commercial scale to control post-harvest chilli anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum species.

Most Colletotrichum species associated with tree tomato (Solanum betaceum) and mango (Mangifera indica) crops are not host‐specific

“…Colletotrichum spp. are pre‐ and postharvest pathogens and thus cause high economic losses that may reach up to 50% of the total production (Ali et al ., ; Bhutia et al ., ; Peters et al ., ). Significant research efforts have focused on understanding the physiology, host–pathogen interactions, and evolution of these plant pathogenic species in order to generate accurate control strategies (Cai et al ., ; Soltani et al ., ; Rahman et al ., ).…”

Sanitary analysis, transmissibility and pathogenicity of fungi associated with cashew nuts

“…C. gloesporiodides was detected in red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seeds and is associated with anthracnose in this crop. This pathogen can be transmitted from the endos perm tissue for hypoc otyl and rootlets and is located generally on the surfac e of seeds, in the endosperm and embryo (Ali et al, 2016 ). The percentage of germinated nuts, with and without disease symptoms it was low (57%) and the quantity of nuts which do not germinate was 24%, while the number of dead seedlings was 9% (Figure 4).…”

Inheritance of anthracnose resistance (Colletotrichum scovillei) in ripe and unripe Capsicum annuum fruits

“…Chilli peppers and sweet peppers ( Capsicum annuum L.) are considered to be important vegetables worldwide and rank among the most important constituents of tropical and subtropical cuisine, especially valued for their sensory and nutritional characteristics (Welbaum, ). Although there have been technological and production advances in this crop, diseases still generate great concern, causing serious yield losses (Ali, Bordoh, Singh, Siddiqui, & Droby, ; Babu et al, ; Di Dato, Parisi, Cardi, & Tripodi, ; Park et al, ; Pereira et al, ; Prusky, ).…”

“…This disease is more frequent in tropical and subtropical zones since these regions have environmental conditions, such as high temperature and humidity, that favour their development (Royle & Butler, ). Anthracnose in sweet and chilli peppers is commonly associated with 24 species of Colletotrichum , which are described as having the ability to infect fruits at different development stages (Ali et al, ; Mongkolporn & Taylor, ; Saxena, Raghuwanshi, Gupta, & Singh, ). Three species of Colletotrichum are considered to be the most destructive in South America: C. truncatum (syn.…”

“…Different management strategies to control anthracnose in Capsicum include crop rotation with non‐host species, application of chemical fungicides and biological control (Ali et al, ; Saxena et al, ). However, the strategy that brings the greatest economic and sustainable benefits is the use of resistant cultivars.…”