IMPACT OF SHOOT PRUNING ON THE PREVALENCE OF MANGO ANTHRACNOSE DISEASE IN SUB-HIMALAYAN TERAI REGION OF WEST BENGAL INDIA

Three mango cultivars viz., Himsagar, Bombai and Langra was selected based on their maturity time as early, mid, late seasons to study the anthracnose infection under natural field conditions without any control measures Experiment conducted at the Instructional Farm, Department of Pomology and Post-Harvest Technology, Faculty of Horticulture, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, located in Pundibari, West Bengal.Disease severity of mango was measured at monthly interval after shoot pruning (30cm from the tip) as compared with unpruned plants.The maximum anthracnose severity was recorded cv.Bombai (67.70% and 59.90%), Langra (53.44% and 50%) and Himsagar (30.87% and 25.24%) in nonpruned (control) and shoot pruned plants in the month of May.Anthracnose severity minimum recorded in Himsagar is 13.69% for unpruned plants and 12.76% for pruned plants in the month of November.Maximum average per cent disease index (Avg.PDI %) was recorded in Bombai (55.35% and 52.23%) followed by Langra (35.97% and 33.50%) and minimum noticed in Himsagar (19.94% and 18.22%) unpruned plants and pruned plants for two consecutive years specially 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively.Incidence of anthracnose severity minimum in shoot pruned plants plants compared to control.None of these three cultivars showed resistant disease reaction on both fruits and leaves against the anthracnose.Cultivar Himsagar showed moderately resistant disease reaction, Langra showed susceptible disease reaction to anthracnose and cultivar Bombai exhibited highly susceptible reaction in both pruned and unpruned plants.