Major pomegranate diseases, with a focus on the pathogenesis, epidemiology, and management challenges of <i>Alternaria alternata</i> diseases.
Authors
Affiliations (4)
Affiliations (4)
- Agricultural Research Organization - Volcani Institute, Department of Plant Pathology and Weed Research , Rishon LeZion, Center District, Israel.
- Bar-Ilan University, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Ramat Gan, Israel; [email protected].
- University of Catania, Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), Via Santa Sofia, 100, Catania, Italy, 95123; [email protected].
- Agricultural Research Organization - Volcani Institute, Department of Plant Pathology and weed research, Rishon LeZion, Center District, Israel; [email protected].
Abstract
Pomegranate is a high value crop severely affected by diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi, especially those caused by <i>Alternaria alternata</i>. This pathogen is responsible for two major diseases black heart rot and black spot disease. Heart rot begins as a latent infection in the flower stigma, leading to internal aril necrosis, whereas black spot manifests as external necrotic lesions. While this review focuses on Alternaria diseases, it differentiates these symptoms from distinct internal rots caused by other fungi like <i>Colletotrichum</i> spp. and <i>Fusarium</i> spp. and surface lesions caused by <i>Pseuodocercospora</i> spp. and <i>Curvularia</i> spp. We examined current knowledge on Alternaria epidemiology, and the influence of physiological factors like fruit pH and calcium on susceptibility. Disease control remains challenging due to limited fungicides and pathogen latency, some promising solutions include biological control with <i>Bacillus</i> species, antifungal extracts, and detection via X-ray and AI-based imaging. Ultimately, a deeper understanding of these diseases and improvement of management strategies is essential to sustain global pomegranate yield and quality.