Assessment of Cucumber Varieties for Resistance to Anthracnose in Goldsboro, NC, 2025

Colletotrichum orbiculare and related Colletotrichum species cause cucumber anthracnose, a destructive disease affecting cucumber production throughout the southeastern United States. Typical symptoms include tan to brown circular lesions 1 cm in diameter on leaf veins, petioles, and stems. As lesions mature, centers may crack or drop out. Black stromata with setae or salmon colored spore masses develop in lesion centers, enabling repeated infection cycles during the growing season. Fruit symptoms consist of circular, sunken lesions that sporulate under favorable conditions. This report evaluates anthracnose disease incidence and severity among pickling and slicing cucumber varieties in Goldsboro, North Carolina, during 2025.