Evaluation of Fungicides to Control Anthracnose Fruit Rot of Annual Strawberry in Florida, 2024–2025

Anthracnose fruit rot (AFR), caused by Colletotrichum acutatum species complex, is an important strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa) disease in Florida. Symptoms appear on both green and ripe fruit as sunken, firm, dark-brown lesions that often exude an orange-colored ooze. Disease is favored by prolonged leaf wetness and warm temperatures. In this trial using ‘Florida Beauty’ transplants obtained from a California nursery, treatments were applied weekly or by following the Strawberry Advisory System (StAS), and disease incidence and marketable yield data were collected. Our results can optimize disease management decisions and limit the risk of increasing selection for fungicide resistance pathogens.