Effect of planting dates, varieties and weather factors on the occurrence and severity of Anthracnose disease in Capsicum

Field experiments were undertaken to determine the effect of planting dates and weather parameters on the disease incidence and severity of capsicum Anthracnose for the two consecutive years 2022–2023 and 2023–2024. Early transplanting of capsicum in the month of December ameliorates the disease incidence and severity in the susceptible variety Arka Mohini. The crop transplanted in December was found to suffer more from the disease than the crop transplanted in January. The least intensity was observed in the crop transplanted in February with better growth and yield attributes. Among the varieties, Arka Atulya was found to suffer least from the disease with better fruit yield. Among weather variables, there was a significant negative correlation between disease severity of anthracnose and minimum temperature and morning relative humidity.