Bio-efficacy of various fungicides against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides causing anthracnose on pomegranate fruit

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an ancient crop which is suffering from several economically important diseases like anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) Penz. and Sacc. The disease has become potentially destructive both in the field and during postharvest storage conditions. In severely affected orchards, defoliation, dropping of flowers and fruit result in a drastic reduction of yield and quality while, after harvest it reduces the market value of fruits. Propagules of the pathogen cause fruit spots and decay. A study for disease management under field conditions was carried out for two consecutive seasons, revealing that foliar sprays with trifloxystrobin+tebuconazole (0.15+0.3 g a.i. L-1) recorded the lowest disease severity index (6.25%) and highest fruit yield (12.54 t ha(-1)) followed by trifloxystrobin+tebuconazole (0.13+0.25 g a.i. L-1).