Bacterial Black Spot is a fungal disease that spreads 10- 200 metres per year, weakens branches and cause fruit drop. Manual control measure in combination with chemicals reduces spread.
The disease shows signs similar to anthracnose disease thus need great care. BBS spreads mostly through infested planting materials, vehicles used for transporting, wet and stormy conditions and greatly affect yield hence need coordinated control measure among farmers. Signs of BBS: Yellow lesions around black spots on leaves, black spots on fruits and wounded branches.
BBS manual control
Inspect orchard regularly, remove infected material and burn to reduce chances of infestation. Additionally check trees for deformations, prune and destroy materials also never work in orchard during rain and when canopy is wet to control disease spread. Always dis infect tools after work in infested fields with methylated spirit or concentrated alcohol.
BBS chemical control
Spray BBS with systematic and contact fungicides as they distribute into several parts and protect the sprayed parts respectively. Always read chemical instructions and consult fellow farmers for proper mixture. How ever rotate the chemicals to avoid disease resistance.
