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Colletotrichum scovillei and Colletotrichum truncatum C. scovillei Damm, P.F. Cannon & Crous, 2012; C. truncatum (Schwein.) Andrus & W.D. Moore, 1935 (with C. siamense and other species) · formerly or also: Colletotrichum capsici (= C. truncatum), Colletotrichum acutatum (in the broad sense, for C. scovillei)
Anthracnose is the most damaging fungal disease of chilli and sweet pepper fruit in the tropics and subtropics. It makes sunken, water-soaked spots on ripening pods that develop rings of tiny dark dots and orange spore masses, and in some regions it also kills shoots back from the tip ('dieback'). Several Colletotrichum species are involved; in Asia C. scovillei and C. truncatum are the most common.
Anthracnose of chilli is caused by Colletotrichum scovillei and Colletotrichum truncatum C. scovillei Damm, P.F. Cannon & Crous, 2012; C. truncatum (Schwein.) Andrus & W.D. Moore, 1935 (with C. siamense and other species), a fungus (ascomycete) (order Glomerellales, family Glomerellaceae).
Older or alternative scientific names: Colletotrichum capsici (= C. truncatum), Colletotrichum acutatum (in the broad sense, for C. scovillei).
Present wherever chilli is grown in warm, humid conditions: South and Southeast Asia (the largest chilli-producing region), East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and in the open-field pepper industry of warm temperate areas.
| Region | Status |
|---|---|
| South and Southeast Asia | Widespread; the main fruit disease of chilli |
| East Asia | Widespread in pepper production |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Widespread in humid zones |
| Americas | Present; C. scovillei recorded in South America |
| Oceania | Present in northern Australia and Pacific islands |
The fungi form acervuli - small cushions of spores, often with dark bristles (setae) in C. truncatum - arranged in rings within lesions, and release salmon-pink to orange spore masses in wet weather. They survive on infected seed, crop debris and weed hosts.
| Crop stage | What you see |
|---|---|
| Seedling | Damping-off or dark lesions on seedlings raised from infected seed. |
| Vegetative to flowering | Dieback: shoot tips and branches die back from the tip, turning grey-brown to straw-coloured with black dots; flower drop. |
| Green and ripening fruit | Small, round, water-soaked spots that become sunken lesions with concentric rings of dark dots (acervuli) and pink-orange spore masses; lesions merge and the pod shrivels. |
| Harvest, drying and storage | Spotted, discoloured, mouldy dry chillies of low value; infected seed. |
Infection starts from infected seed, debris and other hosts. Spores are spread by rain splash and irrigation water to fruit, which can be infected at any age; on green fruit the fungus may stay latent until ripening. Lesions on fruit produce masses of spores that spread to other fruit during wet weather.
| Stage | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | Between seasons | Seed, crop debris, weed and alternative hosts. |
| Spore splash | During rain or overhead irrigation | Needs free water. |
| Infection of fruit | About 12-24 hours of wetness at 25-30 °C | Wounds and ripening increase susceptibility. |
| Lesion development and sporulation | About 4-7 days | Repeated cycles during wet weather. |
Most severe at about 25-30 °C with high humidity or frequent rain during fruiting; dry weather slows it greatly.
Multiple cycles during each wet fruiting period.
Rainy or humid fruiting seasons, overhead irrigation, infected seed, fruit damaged by insects or sunscald, dense planting, continuous chilli cropping and leaving infected fruit in the field.
There is no numeric economic threshold; any lesion on a fruit reduces its value. Protection is planned from flowering in seasons and places where wet weather coincides with fruiting, combined with clean seed and sanitation.
Thresholds are local. They depend on crop price, control cost, variety and natural-enemy activity, so use the figure your local extension service publishes where one exists.
Fruit losses of 10-50% are commonly reported in Asia, and higher in wet seasons; spotted fruit is downgraded for both fresh and dried markets, and dieback reduces plant productivity.
Control works best as a sequence: prevent, monitor, then act only when a threshold or a risk forecast says so, using the least disruptive option that works.
Protective sprays from flowering are used during wet weather; dried chilli is exported to markets with strict residue limits. What is registered differs by country and changes over time; follow the label and your local plant-protection authority.
| Scheme | Group | Mode of action | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FRAC | M03 | Dithiocarbamates and relatives (multi-site) | Protectant. |
| FRAC | M01 | Inorganic (copper) - multi-site | Protectant. |
| FRAC | 11 | Quinone outside inhibitors (QoI) | In mixtures; resistance risk. |
| FRAC | 3 | Demethylation inhibitors (DMI) | Systemic; activity varies between Colletotrichum species. |
Chilli and sweet pepper (Capsicum species) are the main hosts. The same fungi also infect tomato, eggplant, legumes (C. truncatum is an important pathogen of soybean and lentil) and many fruit crops.
How to grow the crop well is the first line of defence. Laisha's free grow guides cover each crop from sowing to harvest:
Written by Laisha from the sources above, in its own words. This page is general reference, not a prescription: confirm identification locally and follow the label and your plant-protection authority.