Sweet orange scab
Scientific Name
[Fungus] Elsinoe australis Bitancourt and Jenk.
Anamorph Sphaceloma australis Bitancourt and Jenk.
Disease cycle
Sweet orange scab forms spores on the surface of the scab pustules. This species of scab attacks mainly fruits. The conidia (asexual spores) are similar to those of E. fawcettii, require moisture for spore production and are primarily spread by splashing rain. Fruits are susceptible for 6 to 8 weeks after petal fall. The role of ascospores (sexual spores) is uncertain.
Symptoms
Sweet orange scab does not usually form lesions on leaves or twigs in contrast to the more common Citrus scab.
Fruit- the rinds of young fruit display relatively large flat or warty outgrowths (windscar) which vary in color from a light pink to a grayish-brown with age. Sweet orange scab lesions are flatter than those produced by E. fawcettii (Citrus scab).
Host range
Grapefruit, sweet orange, lemon, and tangerine cultivars.
Distribution
Rio Grande Valley-Texas, Arizona, Florida, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay.
Easily confused with
Citrus scab (Elsinoe fawcettii)
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