Preharvest and postharvest control of mango anthracnose in the philippines

Two field trials were conducted in the Philippines in successive years to compare the effectiveness of different pre- and post-harvest treatments on the development of anthracnose on mango fruits caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. In one experiment, the pre-harvest application of benomyl (250 mg/l a.i.) significantly reduced the number of conidia sampled in tree canopies compared with control trees (no fungicide) and was associated with a significant reduction in the post-harvest development of anthracnose on fruits. A hot-benomyl dip (850 mg/l a.i. at 52-55-degrees-C for 10 min) completely eradicated anthracnose on fruit treated on the day of harvest. In a second experiment, pre-harvest applications of prochloraz (500 mg/l a.i.) either within a pre-planned spray schedule or applied strategically (when 18 h or more continual leaf wetness was recorded by a sensor placed within a tree canopy) gave the best control of anthracnose on fruits. A hot-benomyl dip was again the most effective post-harvest treatment for fruit treated on the day of harvest and on the day after. There was no significant difference, however, between hot-benomyl dips or prochloraz dips (500 mg/l a.i. for 10 min) at ambient temperatures when fruit were treated on the third day after harvest. The implications of these results for the production and treatment of Carabao mangoes in the Philippines are discussed.