Anthracnose — Tomato

Symptoms

Symptoms appear mainly on ripe fruits, often where fruits touch the soil or crop debris. Small, circular, sunken depressions develop on the fruit and may enlarge up to 12 mm in diameter. The centre of the lesion usually becomes tan and contains numerous dark fungal fruiting bodies arranged in concentric rings. Salmon-coloured fungal spores may appear on the lesion surface. Lesions may merge, affecting large portions of the fruit. Lesions may crack, allowing secondary organisms to enter and cause soft rot. Green fruits may become infected without showing visible symptoms until ripening; this is known as latent infection. Foliage symptoms are uncommon and appear as small, circular, brown lesions surrounded by yellow halos. Infected roots show brown, decayed internal tissues with numerous small black fungal fruiting structures beneath the surface. Root growth slows, resulting in yellowing and stunting of the plant.