Anthracnose of Lentils

▪ Symptoms of anthracnose are very similar to symptoms of Ascochyta blight. Laboratory analysis is often necessary to distinguish the diseases with confidence.
▪ Leaflet lesions are tan, generally with a darker brown border. They often appear either prior to flowering (8- to 12-node stage) or shortly after bloom initiation. Diseased leaves may show premature leaf drop.
▪ Stem lesions first appear at the base of stems and subsequently develop higher in the plant. Lesions are generally tan to light brown with a darker border. The lesions often contain numerous black dots; these dots are microsclerotia (long-term survival structures of the pathogen). When microsclerotia are not present, the lesions show a consistent internal tan to light brown color. As lentils mature, the lesions expand to cover large sections of the stems. These expanded lesions are often covered with abundant microsclerotia, giving them a blackened appearance.
▪ Pod lesions are tan to light brown with a darker brown border. Seeds within disease pods are often infected and discolored.