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IPM Scouting in Herbaceous Perennials

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Anthracnose
IPM scouting in herbaceous perennials > anthracnose
Pathogen: Colletotrichum spp.

Hosts include: Althaea, Bergenia, Heuchera, Hosta, Limonium, Sedum and Lupinus.

Symptoms: Symptoms vary, depending on the host. Althaea seedlings and young plants are especially susceptible to infection: leaf spotting and stem lesions can be severe. Lupine seedlings are especially vulnerable: infected plants wilt and have necrotic lesions on stems. Leaf spots, shepherd’s crooks and crown rot develop on more mature lupine plants (see photo). Anthracnose causes severe stem girdling and crown rot on sedum. Susceptibility varies with cultivar. Infection on hosta causes leaf spots with bleached out centers and repro-ductive structures (black dots) are often visible in these lesions.

Spread: Disease can be seed-borne in some perennial crops. The pathogen persists on infested material. Spores are splash-dispersed by rain and irrigation.
Foliar dieback
Foliar dieback symptoms on a larger, more mature lupine plant.
Management: Space plants to promote air circulation around them. Remove diseased plant material – Colletotrichum. spp. will sporulate readily on dead plant material in the production area. Fungicide applications may be needed. Lupine seedlings can be infected by seed- borne inoculum. Disease management must rely heavily on the use of disease-free seed and fungicide applications to seedlings.
Severe leaf spotting Mature plants Setae
Severe leaf spotting on a young hollyhock leaf.  Leaf spots, shepherd’s crooks and crown rot develop on more mature lupine plants. Setae, produced in clumps on the surface of dead plant material, are a diagnostic structure.
This information was developed from A Pocket Guide for IPM Scouting in Herbaceous Perennials by Jan Byrne and Raymond A. Cloyd. Purchase this in a pocket-sized guide for reference in the orchard from MSU Extension (publication E-2981).
The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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Updated 9/28/07