Anthracnose of grape

Written by: Mir Aqa Itebar

 Afghan gardeners claim that 125 types of grapes are found in Afghanistan but some gardeners complain of grape diseases, especially anthracnose of grapes. AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some gardeners and an agricultural expert about this disease.

A gardener, Gulbahar says, “I have more than 700 grape vines and anthracnose attacked on half of them. The leaves of the grapevine curl; the clusters of the grapes are bigger than usual and the grapes are not edible. Last year I faced 120 thousand Afghanis loss.”

Wasil Khan, a resident of Qarabagh district, Kabul province says, “This is the third year that anthracnose spoils my grapes and every year I lose my grape garden’s yields. When I want to sell my harvest, no one dares to buy it.”

An agricultural expert, Abdul Samad Kamavi talks about this disease, “anthracnose, like other diseases, cause the gardeners not to get good results from their gardens. This disease not only damages the annual yields of the garden but it also destroys the yields of the coming years and causes economic problems to the gardeners. If this disease is not prevented, the grapevines may be affected by some other diseases too.”

What do some gardeners think about the causes and symptoms of anthracnose of grapes?

Gulbahar says, “I do not know about the causes and symptoms of this disease.”

Muhammad Agha, a resident of Kapisa province says, “When anthracnose attacks on grapes, the clusters of grapes become bigger and the grape granules do not grow and there are no more than a few granules on each cluster.” Kamavi says, “The anthracnose disease on the leaves is seen in the form of circular spots, in the early stages. Symptoms of anthracnose vary from host to host, but in general, include irregular spots, and dead areas on leaves that often follow the veins of the leaves. Affected tissue could vary in color, but it is often brown. Severely affected leaves often curl and may fall off.”

How do gardeners prevent this disease?

A gardener, Haji Sabir says, “When I saw that my grapevines are affected by anthracnose disease, I shared the issue with the agricultural clinic of our area. They advised me to cut the affected branches. I cut them and prevented from spreading the disease.”

Kamavi says, “To prevent and eliminate this disease, every gardener should first make sure that the vine seedlings that he grows in his garden are not infected with this disease, and that gardeners should refrain from cultivating vines in humid areas. Some gardeners are using medicines to make grape granules bigger, they don't have to do this experiment. They should keep the garden clean; water the garden in the cold winter, if they identify the branches affected with this disease during the year, they should cut them in the autumn."