Collectotrichum Capsici

Fungal Disease

Collectotrichum Capsici

Fungal Disease

Collectotrichum Capsici

Fungal Disease

Collectotrichum Capsici

Fungal Disease

The fungus attacks many parts of the plant. It causes post-emergence damping-off of seedlings, due to the development of reddish-brown cortical rot at the base of the hypocotyl, and spotting of the cotyledons (Hillocks, 1992). The fungus also causes anthracnose lesions on all plant parts. On leaves, pinkish-brown spots appear especially on the undersurfaces of leaves and large areas of leaf tissue around the veins may become necrotic. In South America, a witches' broom disease results from the abnormal growth of normally quiescent axillary and terminal buds (Carvalho et al., 1988; Hillocks, 1992). The initial stages of boll rot are the appearance of small, rapidly expanding, reddish-brown spots on the capsule, which blacken and are sometimes concentrically zoned. These lead to a coating of thick, grey mycelium on the surface of the affected boll, sometimes with a pink coloration due to conidial masses, followed by production of small black setose fruit bodies as the boll dries out (Hillocks, 1992).