ABSTRACT
P. May et al. obtained similar results when he defoliated the sultana vine, and I. G. Dukuh observed more malformed tubers when defoliation occurred even when close to the harvest stage of sweet potatoes. As leaves provide the energy for metabolism, a method of reducing the stress encountered during the period between leaf losses and fruiting is probably required if yields are not to be adversely affected by defoliation. Some gradual defoliation of the evergreen Mangifera indica occurred during its foliation period. Systematic defoliation as carried out for Mangifera indica is suggested for other anthracnose-affected plants, both in the tropics and extratropical locations. Using gas exchange analysis in plants with anthracnose disease and grown under controlled conditions, D. B. Lopes and R. Berger found evidence indicating that the photosynthesis in the green area beyond the necrotic symptoms of anthracnose was severely impaired.
