Diseases of Custard Apple and Their Management

Custard apple is a genus of Annona and a native of the tropical Americas and West Indies. The color of custard apple fruit varies from pale green through blue-green. When ripe, the segments of the fruit separate quite easily when lightly pressed between hands, exposing the flesh. The fruit tolerates a variety of conditions, from saline soils to droughts. Farmers usually cultivate the fruits on hills in barren lands. Erratic rains will, however, impede fruit quality. The tree displays yellow trumpet-shaped flowers that emit a pleasant sweet smell, with only a small number of flowers setting fruit. Pathogen survives in the form of mycelia aggregates, which are embedded deep in the plant tissues are the primary source of inoculums. During humid and hot conditions, the pathogen becomes active, and silvery-white feathery mycelium is seen, which leads to the formation of the necator stage. Asexual spores are easily spread by water/rain splashes, wind or insects.