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How to Identify, Control, and Treat Anthracnose

Fungal anthracnose attacks these young grapevine leaves.

Photo Credit
Photo by CSIRO ScienceImage via Wikimedia Commons
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Prevent This Fungal Disease in Your Garden

Catherine Boeckmann
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Pest Type
Plant Diseases

Anthracnose is a fungal disease that affects many plants, including vegetables, fruits, and trees. It causes dark, sunken lesions on leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits. It also attacks developing shoots and expanding leaves. It can spread very quickly during rainy seasons. Learn how to treat plants affected by anthracnose and how to prevent it.

What is Anthracnose? 

Anthracnose is a general term for a variety of diseases that affect plants in similar ways. Anthracnose is especially known for the damage that it can cause to trees. Anthracnose is caused by a fungus, and among vegetables, it attacks cucurbits.

Anthracnose can survive on infected plant debris and is very easily spread. Like rust, it thrives under moist and warm conditions and is often spread by watering.

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Identification

How to Identify Anthracnose

  • On leaves, anthracnose generally appears first as small, irregular yellow or brown spots. These spots darken as they age and may also expand, covering the leaves.
  • On vegetables, it can affect any part of the plant.
  • On fruits, it produces small, dark, sunken spots, which may spread. In moist weather, pinkish spore masses form in the center of these spots. Eventually, the fruits will rot.
  • On trees, it can kill the tips of young twigs. It also attacks the young leaves, which develop brown spots and patches. It can also cause defoliation of the tree.
anthracnose-identification-disease.jpg
Anthracnose can affect many plants with its brown spots, including this cucumber leaf.
Photo Credit: Rutgers University. 
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Control and Prevention

How to Control Anthracnose

  • Remove and destroy any infected plants in your garden. For trees, prune out the dead wood and destroy the infected leaves.
  • You can try spraying your plants with a copper-based fungicide, though be careful because copper can build up to toxic levels in the soil for earthworms and microbes. For trees, try a dormant spray of bordeaux mix.

Prevent Anthracnose

  • Plant resistant plants, or buy healthy transplants.
  • Plant your plants in well-drained soil. You can also enrich the soil with compost to help plants resist diseases.
  • Water your plants with a drip sprinkler, as opposed to an overhead sprinkler. Don’t touch the plants when they are wet.
  • Keep ripening fruits from touching the soil.
  • Remember to rotate your plants every 2 to 3 years.
Plant Disease
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Ken Willie (not verified)

3 months ago

I have an eastern redbud (planted 2yrs ago ) which unfortunately is suffering from anthracnose...I have been spraying with a copper based spray covering the entire tree...but the disease will not go away..( 2nd year affected) ..I assume it came from the nursery this way...they don't have a warranty on their sales
Thanks
Ken
Meaford ontario

kim (not verified)

2 years 5 months ago

Will pruning affected trees and destroying the leaves be enough to prevent recurrence? I may missing it, but I don't see any information about how to prevent recurrence in trees? Lots of info on plants, but I don't anything preventative for large trees.
Thanks.

There's really not much you can do for a tree. Imagine trying to collect and destroy every single leaf that comes from an infected tree.

Does additional anthracnose treatments needed every year to large maple trees to prevent initial infection during the first year.

Removing infected leaves can help to stop its spread, but anthracnose can overwinter in twigs or other parts of the tree, so it’s unlikely that you would be able to get rid of it completely. Generally, anthracnose isn’t as big of an issue in trees as it is in smaller plants, so it’s often something that is just tolerated. However, if the tree seems to weaken and have a lot of leaf loss, fungicides can be used. Read more about that here: Anthracnose

Duah Boakye Ebenezer (not verified)

4 years 3 months ago

I work at TESYD Farms as T.O. and I have noticed that most of the young seedlings have their leaves with many dark spot looking like it has been sprayed with weedicide. Can that be anthracnose?.

racheal (not verified)

5 years 2 months ago

I have recently bought a mango tree and it has black regions on my branches.It doesn't seem to be effecting the leaves much yet . I'm not sure if its Anthracnose any help would do. I've also noticed broken leaves I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it.

DON QUEK (not verified)

5 years 2 months ago

I once had healthy guava fruits, but the tree is now producing guava fruits which browns very quickly
what has gone wrong
Can you help with an explanation and treatement
Thanks

Hoffman (not verified)

5 years 5 months ago

How long does the leaf dropping last?

Jack Getz (not verified)

6 years 2 months ago

What does the damage look like on the fruit of Peach trees and how does one control it? When to spray to keep if from happening? I'm not sure that is what I have on the fruit of my peach trees but from your article it sounds like it is.