Identification of Colletotrichum Species Associated with Mango Anthracnose Disease (MAD) and Integrated Management

Abstract

Aim: Anthracnose is one of the most devastating diseases of mango, causing yield losses of up to 100% in unmanaged plantations. Its complex etiology and the development of resistance to fungicides have made the disease difficult to manage effectively. Study Place and Duration:  In this study, disease samples collected from nurseries of Kolar region of Karnataka state during rainy season 2024/25. The samples were analyzed for species diversity and evaluated in-vitro against bioagents, botanical extracts, and fungicides. Results: BLASTn sequence identity of the ITS1, 5.8S rDNA, and ITS2 regions revealed the presence of three species: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (98% similarity), C. asianum (99% similarity), and C. siamense (99.5% similarity) associated with mango anthracnose disease (MAD). On potato dextrose agar medium, the colonies exhibited dense, white to ash-gray, fluffy growth with hyaline conidia measuring 11.50–18.20 × 3.20–5.10 µm. The bioagent Trichoderma viride-1 exhibited greater reduction (69.76%) of mycelial growth of the pathogen. Plant extracts, Pongamia pinnata seed extract (69.47%) and Azadirachta indica seed extracts (69.06%) exhibited strong antifungal activity. There is highly significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed among the tested fungicides. Propineb was the most effective contact fungicide, with a mean inhibition of 52.95 per cent. Among the systemic and combi-product fungicides maximum mean inhibition recorded in tebuconazole + trifloxystrobin (75.97%), followed by tebuconazole (72.08%) and propiconazole (68.81%). Conclusion: The present study highlights the species diversity underlying with mango anthracnose, emphasizing its complex etiology, and provides critical insights for developing integrated disease management strategies.