Diagnóstico de la incidencia y severidad causado por Colletotrichum spp. en Solanum betaceum Cav. en huertos productivos del cantón El Pan, provincia del Azuay

Abstract

The tree tomato (Solanum betaceum) is a fruit that is highly valued in Ecuador for its various uses and benefits. The province of Azuay stands out for the significant development of this crop, with multiple producing cantons, one of which is Cantón Pan, the focus of this study. In recent years, it has been shown that one of the most frequent diseases in this species is Colletotrichum spp., also known as chicken eye, which has a considerable impact on production. For this reason, a study of the incidence and severity within this canton was carried out in order to understand the behavior regarding incidence, severity, and distribution throughout the canton. The results reflect variable incidence values, with the units with the highest values being possible sources of contamination risk. However, there were also units with low to zero values, reflecting low incidence. In terms of severity, there were also units with high values exceeding 50% of the affected area, generating economic losses due to the poor quality of the fruit for sale. In this context, the distribution of both incidence and severity in the canton shows widespread contamination in the production areas concentrated in the center and far north of the canton, which are favorable areas for the development of the fungus. This makes it essential to take preventive and control measures.