This blog talks in detail about the major pomegranate disease- Fusarium wilt, Anthracnose, Bacterial leaf spot, and Root-knot nematode.

One of the main obstacles to healthy pomegranate production is diseases. Pomegranate diseases threaten the value chain’s financial, nutritional, and postharvest losses since many fungi and bacteria typically cause them. Researching the importance of various disease prevention and management strategies for pomegranate fruit and fruit trees is vital.

By reading about the warning indicators and manifestations of a stressed pomegranate tree, one can learn how to handle problems as they arise.

Significant diseases of pomegranate are:

• Fusarium wilt
• Anthracnose
• Bacterial leaf spot
• Root-knot nematode

Fusarium wilt

Symptoms:

• Affected plants exhibit branch browning, followed by leaf drooping and drying.
• In a few months or a year, the tree ultimately perishes.
• The wood of the damaged tree has a dark grayish-brown discoloration that is visible when the tree is sliced open lengthwise or crosswise.

• Fusarium wilt can persist for years in infected plant waste and the soil (5-7 yrs).
• Most of the wilt pathogens, including fungi and nematodes, spread through infected planting materials to new areas.
• However, other intercultural activities like weeding, applying manure, using farm equipment and pruning tools, using root grafts, flooding/runoff irrigation water, and insects like shot hole borer can also spread the pathogens within and near orchards.

Management:

• Infected plant material should be removed and destroyed to stop the disease from spreading.
• Clean the grafting and pruning equipment both before and after usage.
• Avoid areas with alternate pomegranate trees with non-host species.
• Maintain enough separation between trees (to prevent root contact, where the fungus may spread).
• Infection from wilt can be more likely in areas with poor drainage. Hence ensure proper drainage in the farm.

Anthracnose

Symptoms:

• Tiny, regular to sporadic black dots on fruits, leaves, and flowers that subsequently transform into dark brown depressed marks.
• Yellowing and wilting of infected leaves.
• These spots are frequently encircled by a more or less distinct yellow halo. On leaves, the spots can eventually spread to cover a significant portion of the blades and develop into lesions.
• They can become yellow and prematurely shed, which causes defoliation.
• Fruits have brown to dark brown spots that start off a round before becoming irregular as they grow.
• Later, the fruit softens, initially turning dark grey or black but is not watery and begins to rot.

Favourable conditions for anthracnose:

The disease is at its worst in August and September, when humidity is high, and the temperature ranges from 20 to 27 °C.

Management:

• Choose Ambe bahar or Haste varieties.
• Wider tree spacing and regular tree pruning.
• Correctly discard unhealthy branches and leaves.
• Apply Kitazin 48% EC @ 0.20% or 80ml in 80 l of water as necessary, depending on the crop stage and the type of plant protection equipment being utilised.

Bacterial leaf spots

Symptoms:

• In extreme circumstances, the appearance of one to several small, uneven, water-soaked patches on leaves causes premature defoliation.
• The disease also affects stems and branches, resulting in symptoms including cracking and girdling.
• Fruits had dark brown, uneven, slightly elevated, greasy spots that, in more severe cases, burst open with L-shaped splits.

Favourable conditions for Bacterial leaf spots:

The disease is more likely to start and spread when:

• There is a rise in daytime temperature (38.6°C),
• A rise in the afternoon relative humidity by 30.4%,
• And with cloudy skies and irregular rainfall.

Management:

• Appropriate plant and row spacing.
• Choosing disease-free seedlings for new planting.
• Using a lot of organic manures, micronutrients, and the advised NPK.

Root-knot nematodes:

Symptoms:

• The root-knot nematode forms knots or galls on the roots. Root systems show different degrees of growth retardation, leaf yellowing, and dropping of mature plants.
• As the nematode population grows, feeder roots are invaded and destroyed as quickly as they are created. The plants become weak and produce smaller fruits due to the disruption in nutrient intake.
• In young irrigated orchards, severe root galling and noticeable damage to pomegranate trees is common occurrences.
• Branch-by-branch wilting of the plant due to the association of the wilt fungus is also a common symptom of root-knot nematode.

Management:

• Propagate only nematode-free stock and resistant crop varieties.
• Use cultural methods like intercropping and crop rotation to control the nematode population.
• Also, using clean planting materials and farm equipment can help control the spread.
• Using 10g of carbofuran per plant during sowing will also help check the nematode growth.

How does the Fasal system help manage Pomegranate diseases?

• Pomegranate diseases may negatively impact fruit growth, output, and quality.
• With Fasal’s technology, diseases like anthracnose, bacterial leaf spot, and fusarium wilt no longer threaten the production of pomegranates.
• Fasal is an IoT-based intelligence platform for horticulture crops. It gathers real-time data on conditions from on-farm sensors to give farmers actionable recommendations customized to their farms, crops, and crop stages.
• Diseases including anthracnose, fusarium wilt, and leaf spot can be precisely managed with the help of fasal technology. This will help the farmer save up to 50% on spray costs.
• The Fasal system also assists in regulating irrigation following the crop and its stage, improving the quality of the produce, and preventing diseases.
• With the Fasal system, farmers can more effectively organize their farms and labour with the help of a weather forecast specific to their location and monitor the condition of their crops.