''Colletotrichum musae'' is a

plant pathogen Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomyc ...

primarily affecting the genus ''

Musa Musa may refer to: Places *Mūša, a river in Lithuania and Latvia * Musa, Azerbaijan, a village in Yardymli Rayon * Musa, Iran, a village in Ilam Province *Musa, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran *Musa, Kerman, Iran * Musa, Bukan, West Azerbaijan ...

'', which includes

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

s and

plantains Plantain may refer to: Plants and fruits * Cooking banana, banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking ** True plantains, a group of cultivars of the genus ''Musa'' * ''Plantaginaceae'', a family of flowerin ...

. It is best known as a cause of

anthracnose A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...

(the black and brown spots) indicating ripeness on bananas.

Symptoms

Symptoms appear as dark brown/black lesions on green fruit. On yellow fruit these lesions increase in size, orange fungal growth can be found in centre of lesions. Symptoms can also be found on the tips of fruit. Symptoms also include premature ripening of fruit.

Management

The CABI-led programme,

Plantwise CABI (legally CAB International, formerly Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux) is a nonprofit intergovernmental development and information organisation focusing primarily on agricultural and environmental issues in the developing world, and the c ...

recommend several methods to prevent the spread of the disease. These include; covering emerging fruit in plastic coverings and avoiding damage during harvest, removal of decaying parts and weeds of non-crop species to reduce favourable humid conditions for fungal infection. Plantwise also recommends sufficient irrigation and draining of plantations to reduce unnecessary conditions which favour fungi.

Sources

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5147088

musae Musaceae is a family of flowering plants composed of three genera with about 91 known species, placed in the order Zingiberales. The family is native to the tropics of Africa and Asia. The plants have a large herbaceous growth habit with leaves ...

Fungal plant pathogens and diseases Fungi described in 1957