Phoma blight of mango

The symptoms of a phoma blight infection are visible only on older leaves. When the fungus first attacks the leaves, symptoms show as small, discolored yellowish and brownish spots. Affected leaves display angular, yellow to brown irregular lesions scattered over the entire lamina.

As the fungal spores continue to develop, the spotting grows in size and area, with the coloration changing to a rusty brown and the centers can take on a grayish color. As the lesions enlarge their colour changes from brown to cinnamon.

Phoma blight spreads rapidly, and any health part of a plant that is touching infected soil is at risk of succumbing.

The symptoms are cause by the fungus Peyronellaea glomerata, formally known as phoma glomerata, thereby the common name of the disease. Phoma glomerata was originally described as a Coniothyrium by Corda. Woolenweber and Hochapfel transferred it to the genus Phoma and added the description for dictyospores. The species of sect. Peyronellaea are characterized by the production of conspicuous multicellular chlamydospores.

Infections by this fungus are most common in wet and cool conditions. It survives in soil and in the old plant debris that is under your plantings.
Phoma blight of mango