circular leaf spot of persimmon

Symptoms

Round (3-7mm) dark brown spots with yellow halos on leaves, spots may have grey centers in late season, severe infections cause yellowing + premature defoliation, persimmon-specific (no other hosts), fruit drop in heavy infections.

Plants affected

• Japanese persimmon / kaki

Easily confused with

• anthracnose

  How to tell them apart: Mycosphaerella nawae (circular leaf spot of persimmon) produces discrete, near-perfectly circular spots on the upper leaf surface that start reddish-brown and develop a sharp dark border with a slightly paler centre; spots stay small (2-5 mm), scattered, do not coalesce, and trigger sudden orange-red leaf colouring and heavy premature defoliation in late summer/autumn. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (anthracnose) makes more irregular, angular-to-rounded brown spots that enlarge and merge, often with a yellow halo and a tan necrotic centre; under humid conditions it forms sunken lesions bearing tiny salmon-pink to black fruiting pustules (acervuli), and it readily attacks shoots, petioles and especially fruit (dark sunken rot), which circular leaf spot does not.

Common questions

How do I recognise circular leaf spot of persimmon on Japanese persimmon / kaki?

Round (3-7mm) dark brown spots with yellow halos on leaves, spots may have grey centers in late season, severe infections cause yellowing + premature defoliation, persimmon-specific (no other hosts), fruit drop in heavy infections.

Do I have to report circular leaf spot of persimmon?

No. circular leaf spot of persimmon is not a notifiable organism, so there is nothing to report to an authority. Treat it as a normal garden problem.

How is circular leaf spot of persimmon treated?

Mainly with biological and cultural measures — removing affected material, changing the conditions that favour it, and treating with agents approved in your country. The exact steps and their timing depend on the plant, the season and where you live: Dr. Phyto works them out in a free diagnosis.