Persea americana

• Thematic area:
• Sanitary and phytosanitary management
• Productive system:
• Avocado
• Geographic coverage:

• Andean region

Description

Among the major sanitary limitations for the production of green or Papelillo-type avocados in the department of Tolima is the disease called leaf spot or black spot of the fruit (Pseucodercospora purpurea). A fruit with a 5% stained area qualifies as second quality in the national market, affecting the producer's income.

Three types of management to reduce the damage caused by this pathogen and improve the quality and presentation of the fruits in the market can be implemented:

1. Chemical control: based on the rotation of single fungicides, such as Difenoconazole (0.18 grams/liter), Tebuconazole (0.20 grams/liter) + Trifloxystrobin (0.10 grams/liter), or in a mixture with copper oxychloride, Triadimenol (0.25 grams/liter) + Azoxystrobin (0.1 grams/liter), every 21 days from flowering to harvest. From the application of these products, it is possible to record percentages of incidence and severity in smaller fruits —10.28 % and 13.33 %, respectively— concerning the producer’s conventional management.

2. Cultural control: pruning the crop before the beginning of the productive stage reduces the incidence of the fungus in fruits by 50%, compared to not carrying out this practice.

3. Varietal control: the most tolerant variety to the pest is Hass, followed by Choquette and Lorena, with severity values in the fruit of 3.4 %, 7.09 %, and 8.53 %, respectively. In addition, in susceptible varieties such as Lorena, pruning the tree before the start of the productive stage and the joint application of the latest generation systemic fungicides in rotation every 21 days, from flowering to harvest, allows a profitability of more than 23.75 %, compared to that of the producer's conventional management.

This Technological Offer is recommended for the department of Tolima.

Associated publications

Associated publications

• Booklet: La peca o mancha negra del fruto de aguacate (Pseudocercospora purpurea) etiología, epidemiologia y estrategias de manejo de la enfermedad [The leaf spot or black spot of the avocado fruit (Pseudocercospora purpurea). Etiology, epidemiology and disease management strategies]. 
• Scientific article: El problema de la peca en cultivos de aguacate (Persea americana Mill.) del norte del Tolima, Colombia [The black spot problem in avocado (Persea americana Mill.) crops in northern Tolima, Colombia].   
• Scientific article: Validation of black spot [(Pseudocercospora purpurea (Cooke) Deighton] management strategies in avocado crops in northern Tolima.

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