Diseases of fruit plantation medicinal and aromatic crops (2+1)

Berry blotch

Causal organism: Cercospora coffeicola B. & Cke.

Classification:
Class- Deutromycotina,
Order- Moniliales
Family- Dematiaceae.

Berry spot and cherry are the other names for this disease. This disease is confined to the berries only and has been noticed in all the coffee tracts of south India. The disease become serious when the developing berries are exposed to sun during Aug-Nov. the diseased tissue of the skin become dry and hard & sticking fast to the parchment & such fruits are difficult to pulpy properly, thus lowering the quality considerably.
Symptoms

• Dark brown, irregular, slightly sunken, necrotic spots appear on exposed surface of the green berries.
• Necrotic spots enlarge in size & cover a major portion of berry surface.
• Skin of the infected berries show a purple halo around the necrotic spots.
• Infected tissues turn brown to black, shrivel, become dry and stick fast to the parchment.
Favourable factors

Exposure of the developing berries to sun in the absence of adequate over head shades and hot humid conditions are the main predisposing factors for disease development.



Management

• Maintain adequate overhead shades to avoid sun scorching of berries.
• Spray the developing berries in the endemic blocks with 1.0% Bordeaux mixture when the incidence is just noticed.