Common pre- and post-harvest diseases of vegetable crops in Jamaica

Abstract

Abstract Vegetable production in Jamaica, and throughout the world, faces many diseases that affect the yield and the quality of the fresh harvest produce. However, some diseases are more predominant than others. The most observed diseases of vegetables are anthracnose, leaf spot, club root, downy mildew, gray mold, mosaic and geminiviruses, early blight, septoria leaf spot and leaf rusts. Nevertheless, other diseases can also be found seriously affecting the grown vegetable. Greenhouse cropping systems are also affected by similar and other diseases such as septoria leaf spot, early blight, anthracnose, fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt, late blight, bacterial spot, bacterial speck, bacterial canker, gray mold, leaf mold, powdery mildew and elephant’s foot disease. Although not specific to the country, other diseases are also found more frequently than others, and the frequency varies with the region and the cropping system (indoor or outdoor).