Researchers are a few steps closer to unravelling the cause of internal rot in Australian capsicums and chillies.
Samples of capsicum and chillies with internal rot, sent from growers in the Gatton and Stanthorpe regions, have been examined by AHR scientists and first clues to the causes of this disease have been revealed.
Almost all of the infected fruit pieces examined so far, including the stylar end, harboured Alternaria spp. and most of the flowers presented Alternaria. This suggests that infection has already occurred during the flowering stage.
The ongoing research is part of a Hort Innovation funded project led by AHR, created to develop effective control measures and to determine what main organisms are responsible for this disease in Australia. AHR will collect samples from other regions, such as Bundaberg and Bowen, to determine whether the same pathogen is causing internal rot in those regions.
For more information about the project, click here.
For more information:
AUSVEG
www.ausveg.com.au