Features of the pathogenesis of potato anthracnose (Colletotrichum coccodes) and protective measures (review)

Relevance. This review is devoted to the systematization of modern data on the potato anthracnose pathogen Colletotrichum coccodes, its pathogenesis, epidemiology and protective measures. The increasing importance of the disease in recent decades has been associated with increasing requirements for the presentation of washed and packaged potatoes, which necessitated a comprehensive analysis of the accumulated knowledge. Methodology. The review is based on an analysis of domestic and foreign publications of recent years, including the results of mycological, molecular genetics and epidemiological studies. Information on the symptoms of the disease, sources and ways of spreading the infection, diagnostic methods (mycological, PCR-oriented, digital), as well as data on agrotechnical, chemical and integrated potato protection strategies were used. Results. It has been shown that Colletotrichum coccodes has a wide range of hosts, including more than 50 species of cultivated and weedy plants, which significantly complicates disease control. The main source of infection is sclerotia in the soil and on plant remains, which persist up to 8-13 years. The most harmful manifestations are associated with a deterioration in the marketable quality of tubers, especially during prolonged storage. Diagnosis in the field is difficult due to the similarity of symptoms with silver scab, but modern PCR tests provide high accuracy. Chemical fungicides have limited effectiveness, while the greatest results are achieved with their preventive use in combination with agrotechnical measures. A promising area is integrated protection, including the use of healthy planting material, the destruction of weeds, reservoirs of infection, optimization of agricultural machinery and monitoring of the pathogen. Conclusion. Potato anthracnose remains a significant threat to potato production, reducing the yield and marketability of tubers. Effective control is possible only with the use of a set of preventive and integrated measures. Further research is needed to develop resistant varieties, new fungicides, and digital disease monitoring systems.