Management

Tip of immature fruit and spreads upward.
Ashy conidia and conidiophores cover the rotted portion.
Imparting burnt ashy cigar-end appearance with a dark border.
Decay may extend up to one-third of the fruit but internal tissues develop a dry rot.
Conidia are hyaline, oblong to cylindrical, borne at the ends of tapering phialides, aggregated into rounded, mucilaginous transluscent heads.
The fungus – plant debris – microsclerotia.
Infected plant parts – irrigation water – implements.

The principal method of control is frequent manual removal and burning of dead flower parts and infected fruits.
Use of fungicide to control the disease is also recommended.
In the packhouse, care should be taken to cull infected fruits to avoid contaminating the washing water with spores.
Cigar-end rot is effectively controlled by covering the flower (immediately after emergence) with a polyethylene bag before the hands emerge.


Blackening at the tip	Cigar end appearence	Powdery grey conidia