This fungal disease occurs sporadically in NY. Warm temperatures (> 70F) and abundant rainfall are considered favorable. Image below was taken in August 2022 when it had been hot and muggy and thus especially favorable for this disease.
There can be many days between infection of blossoms or green fruit and symptoms becoming visible because symptoms are most evident on ripe fruit as infected areas that become slightly sunken with the surrounding area developing a puckered appearance. Slimy mass of pink-orange spores form on infected tissue when it is very wet or very humid. Symptom can appear after harvest. Infection occurring during flowering can result in blossom clusters turning brown or black. It is valuable to know if anthracnose develops in a crop to know the importance of implementing management practices the following year. This fungal pathogen also causes rot in ripe fruit of several other fruit and vegetable crops.
Management starts with pruning and removing dead wood in the spring to reduce overwintering inoculum. The pathogen also infects stems, bud scales and spurs. Avoid excessive nitrogen fertilization because it promotes prolific development of succulent tissues which are highly susceptible to infection. Labeled fungicides to apply starting at bloom include the broad-spectrum fungicides chlorothalonil and ziram and targeted fungicides applied in alternation based on FRAC code: Abound (FRAC 11), CaptEvate (M4+17), Inspire Super (3+9), Indar (3), Quash (3), Pristine (7+11). Harvest promptly because anthracnose is more common and pronounced on overripe fruit. Refrigerate fruit.
Please Note: The specific directions on pesticide labels must be adhered to — they supersede these recommendations if there is a conflict. Any reference to commercial products, trade or brand names is for information only; no endorsement is intended. For up-to-date information on labeled fungicides see Cornell Pest Management Guidelines for Berry Crops.
Prepared September 2022.