Anthracnose of Chilli: Status, Diagnosis, and Management

*Raj Kiran, Jameel Akhtar, Pardeep Kumar and Meena Shekhar*

### **Abstract**

Chilli (*Capsicum annuum* L.) is one of the most economically important vegetable crops in the world. Among different biotic constraints, anthracnose disease is the major limiting factor affecting yield and production of chilli crop. Different symptoms associated with disease are fruit rot, leaf spots, dieback on stem, seedling blight, or damping off. Many species of genus *Colletotrichum* are found associated with the disease worldwide. In India, primarily three important species, namely, *Colletotrichum truncatum*, *C. acutatum*, and *C. gleosporoides*, are responsible for the chilli anthracnose. Accurate identification of pathogen is needed for choosing the proper management strategy for controlling this disease. Both conventional and molecular methods are adapted along with different management strategies, recommended for this disease namely cultural, chemical, and other eco-friendly methods.

**Keywords:** *Colletotrichum*, biocontrol agents, diagnosis, molecular methods

## **1. Introduction**

The genus *Capsicum* includes many cultivated species, of which *Capsicum annuum* L. is one of the most widely cultivated one; besides this, other domesticated species are *C. baccatum*, *C. chinensis*, *C. frutescens*, and *C. pubescens* [1]. *C. annuum* comprises of both sweet (bell pepper) and pungent (chilli) fruits of numerous shapes and sizes. It is a good source of Vitamin A and C, potassium, and folic acid [2]. Fresh green chilli has more vitamin C than a citrus fruit, whereas red chilli has more vitamin A than in carrots [3, 4]. Besides its wide use as vegetable, spice, and condiments, it is also used in medicines and beverages. Capsaicinoid and caretenoids are the active ingredients of the chilli; the capsaicinoids are nonvolatile alkaloids that make chilli pungent [5], and caretenoids have nutritional value that also provides color to the chilli fruit [6]. In tropical and subtropical countries, chilli is considered the most important constituent of different cuisines. As the native home of chillies are considered to be tropical America, where it is still found growing in the wild state [7]. Its introduction to India is credited to voyage of Columbus who brought seeds from Spain, introducing it to Europe, which subsequently spread to Africa and Asia [8].

India is the world's largest producer of dried chillies and in 2018 India produced 1.8 million tons, out of 4.1 million tons produced worldwide [9]. There are two important commercial qualities that makes Indian chilli world famous are color and pungency levels. Chilli crop is attacked with different pests and pathogens in field and during post-harvest, contamination with mycotoxins are major constraints in chilli production. Worldwide, *Capsicum* is vulnerable to various pests, weeds, fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens; among the fungal diseases, anthracnose/ die-back/fruit-rot of chillies is an important disease causing serious losses in field, transit, transport, and storage [10, 11].
