Screening of Custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) genotypes for fruit rot resistance

Abstract

Custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) is a hardy dryland horticultural crop with high export potential and significant economic benefits. However, fruit rot, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz, is one of the major diseases that can lead to substantial losses in yield. The study revealed that all 30 genotypes were infected by the disease. The Attached Fruit Culture (AFC) method showed that a higher number of genotypes exhibited a highly susceptible reaction when inoculated using the Mycelial Bit Inoculation Method (MBIM) compared to the Micro Droplet Inoculation Technique (MDIT). In the MBIM method, the genotypes Vrudheshwar-3, Verul-2, Karkhel, Vrudheshwar-4, Vrudheshwar-2, Telgaon Local, Humnabad Local, and Dhanagarawadi-3 exhibited moderate resistance. In the MDIT method, Vrudheshwar-3, Verul-2, and Karkhel showed resistance to the disease. Additionally, under natural field conditions, Vrudheshwar-3, Verul-2, Karkhel, Humnabad Local, Dhanagarwadi-3, and Vrudheshwar-4 were recorded as resistant to fruit rot disease.