Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig 12.39 External symptoms of stem-end rot caused by
Botryosphaeria
spp. This disease originates at the stem end of
the fruit and spreads rapidly.
Fig 12.41 Stem-end rot on this fruit is caused by
Cytosphaera
mangiferae
, which grows more slowly than
Botryosphaeria
species.
Source of infection and spread
The fungi live within branches without causing symptoms
(endophytic growth) and colonise inf lorescence tissue by
endophytic growth of hyphae, reaching the stem end of
fruit several weeks after f flowering. The fungi do not spread
into fruit until after harvest. Some of the fungi causing
stem-end rot may also be harboured in tree litter and in
the soil. Fruit can also be infected by soil contact at harvest.
Importance
Stem-end rot causes significant postharvest losses of fruit.
Losses can increase during prolonged storage of fruit. The
disease becomes more severe in an orchard as trees become
older.
Fig 12.40 Severe stem-end rot caused by anthracnose. Inset: early
stages.
Fig 12.42 Stem-end rot symptoms in the same fruit over 17 days
showing progressive deterioration.
