Anthracnose symptoms include which of the following?

• A. Leaves with brown lesions, witches' brooms and twig dieback; cankers may develop on twigs
• B. Fruit rot with violet mold
• C. Root galls on the trunk
• D. Powdery coating on leaves

Answer: (A)

Anthracnose is a fungal disease that commonly shows up as brown leaf spots and can progress to affect woody parts of the plant. The most telling signs are the brown lesions on leaves, plus twig dieback and the formation of cankers on twigs. In many hosts, infection also causes witches’ broom, a cluster-like proliferation of shoots. This combination of foliar lesions with woody symptoms is characteristic of anthracnose, which is why it’s the best match for the described symptoms.

Other options describe problems that aren’t typical of anthracnose: a powdery coating on leaves points to powdery mildew; root galls on the trunk suggest a different issue such as crown gall or root diseases; and fruit rot with violet mold indicates a distinct fruit-pathogen scenario not tied to the classic anthracnose syndrome.