Pea anthracnose

Pea anthracnose is a destructive fungal disease caused by the pathogen Colletotrichum pisicola. As a specialized parasite of legumes, it can cause severe damage to pea crops, leading to significant yield losses if left unmanaged, particularly in humid and temperate growing regions.

The disease affects all aerial parts of the pea plant, including leaves, stems, pods, and seedlings. When seedlings are infected, they often undergo damping-off, which leads to sparse and uneven crop emergence, forcing farmers to re-sow areas or suffer from reduced plant density throughout the season.

Visible symptoms on mature plants include brown or tan lesions with a dark, necrotic border. Within these lesions, the fungus produces small, black, cushion-like structures known as acervuli, which erupt through the plant epidermis to release thousands of spores, facilitating rapid spread during rain events.

The development of Colletotrichum pisicola is highly dependent on environmental conditions, specifically high relative humidity and temperatures between 18°C and 25°C. Splashing rain drops are the primary mechanism for dispersing spores from the soil and infected plant debris onto the lower leaves and stems of healthy plants.

Management relies on an integrated approach, starting with the use of pathogen-free, certified seeds and fungicide seed treatments. Crop rotation, avoiding planting peas in fields with recent history of the disease, and deep tillage of residues are essential to reduce the primary inoculum load in the field.

• Use certified, disease-free seed stocks.
• Implement a 3–4 year crop rotation schedule.
• Apply fungicide seed dressings before planting.
• Incorporate crop residues into the soil via deep plowing.
• Monitor fields for early symptoms and apply foliar fungicides.