I agree - that looks more like insect damage (leaf miner) than any sort of disease issue. FWIW, leaf miner damage tends to be more cosmetic than actually harmful to the plant.

on my cherimoya tree since I planted it. Its still growing strong, but at the same time losing a lot of bottom leaves.

==>>> its not uncommon for transplants to lose lower leaves .. due to stress ...

if only a few leaves ... remove them .. and see if there is new damage .... otherwise look to the newer growth to see if there is any active problems ... often the bug is gone by the time you notice the damage ... so remedy is not needed ...

what do tomatoes have to do with this??

ken

Hi Floral_UK and Gardengal48 - I appreciate the responses, seems to be the common theme for this problem. I'm not sure if its purely cosmetic, but it does seem to be losing a lot of bottom leaves... there are some leaves less affected, but these leafminers really seem to go after the leaf and in a few weeks its dead and falls off. Luckily the tree is growing fast enough to not kill it, but I think I need some remedy to combat this problem. Do you think Neem Oil spray weekly would be good?

Here is a few more pictures, including the underside. One reason I think it still be a fungus is because you can see the front, where the sun hits, is less affected. On the side and back is where there is more damage (harder to see in the tree pic)

Ken - see original comment.

The two different photos are showing two different problems. The first is clearly leafminer damage, which is seldom ever a cause for concern. It is difficult to treat as the insect causing the problem is protected by the exterior plant tissue (it lives and feeds inside the foliage). But as stated previously, while it may account for some minor leaf loss and disfigurement, it is primarily a cosmetic issue.

The second photo does look like there may be some sort of fungal issue. Neem oil is a decent fungicide but like most fungicides, it is only prophylactic so will not "cure" existing problems, only limit or curtail their spread.

ETA: the tree looks very skinny and congested with regards to the foliage. That might be creating issues with proper air circulation, which can be a big contributor to fungal problems. Having never gown this tree myself, I am not familiar with its growing habit or pruning requirements, but some spacers placed between the three major stalks/trunks may be appropriate and helpful.

Thanks gardengal48!

Cherimoya becomes a large (to 30 feet), densely foliaged, briefly deciduous tree.

I doubt you need 3 stems! Are they all from one branched cutting? Or are they multiple cuttings? I suggest you correct the problem before they get any larger. (Another choce would be to start over with a better cutting.)

See this info from Calif Rare Fruit Growers:

https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/cherimoya.html

Hi @Jean - It's actually just two main stems, and I'm not sure if it's from one branched cutting or directly from seed and it grew that way. We bought it about a year ago and it always had two stems since the day we bought it.

We are definitely working on correcting the problem. For now, we are fighting it with weekly applications of Neem Oil. Hoping that it continues it's strong growth and becomes healthy enough to eventually fight the problem on it's own (in combination with our help while it's still young).

I actually didn't know that it was a briefly deciduous tree, but we are in the tropics, so we might not experience that since it's the same season all year round here.

I'll keep everyone posted!