Objective 3.

To study about the symptoms, causal organism and

management disease of Red rot of Sugarcane.

Symptoms
The first external symptom appears mostly on third or fourth leaf which
withers away at the tips along the margins. Typical symptoms of red rot are
observed in the internodes of a stalk by splitting it longitudinally. These include
the reddening of the internal tissues which are usually elongated at right angles
to the long axis of the stalk. The presence of cross-wise white patches are the
important diagnostic character of the disease. The diseased cane also emits
acidic-sour smell. As the disease advances, the stalk becomes hollow and
covered with white mycelial growth. Later the rind shrinks longitudinally with
minute black, velvety fruiting bodies protruding out of it. The pathogen also
produces tiny reddish lesions on the upper surface of leaves with dark dots in
the centre. The lesions are initially blood red with dark margins and later on
with straw coloured centres. Often the infected leaves may break at the lesions
and hang down, with large number of minute black dots.

Causal organism: Colletotrichum falcatum

Management
1. Adopt crop rotation by including rice and green manure crops.
2. Select the setts from the disease free fields or disease free areas.
3. Aviod ratooning of the diseased crop.
4. Soak the setts in 0.1% Carbendazim or Triademefon 0.05% solution for
15 minutes before planting.
5. Grow resistant varieties CO 62198, CO 7704 and moderately resistant
varieties CO8001, CO8201.
 6. Setts can be treated with aerated steam at 52 °C for 4 to 5 hours and by
moist hot air at 54°C for 2 hours.

Objective 4. To study about the symptoms, causal organism and

management disease of Late Blight of Potato.

Symptoms
Late blight can occur anytime in the growing season and is especially damaging
during cool, wet weather. Typical summer weather conditions in parts of
Western Maryland may favour development of late blight. This pathogen can
affect all plant parts. Young lesions are small and appear as dark, water-soaked
spots. These leaf spots will quickly enlarge under cool, wet conditions and a
white mold will appear at the margins. Stems are similarly affected and
complete defoliation (browning and shrivelling of leaves and stems) can occur
within 14 days from the first symptoms.

Causal Organism: - Phytophthora infestans

Management
1. Removal of all infected seed tubers.
2. The plants be allowed to dry completely before harvesting, this would kill
the pathogen present on the infected part and would considerably reduce
harvested-tuber infection.
3. The tuber is given a 90 minute dip in 1:1000 mercuric chloride solutions.
4. Do proper hillings and earthing up of potato tubers wide row to row and
plant to plant spacing.
5. Growing resistant varieties Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Sherpa, Kufri Badshah,
Kufri Jeevan, Kufri Moti, Kufri Swarna, Kufri Madhu, Kufri Alnkar, JH-
232, F-5242 and AB-286 etc.
6. Spray mencozeb, copper oxychloride, captafol, propineb and metalaxyl
etc. Before use dates of disease appearance, generally when the crop is
about six weeks old in north Indian conditions.
7. Copper- lime dusting 12.5 pound non-hydrated copper sulphate and 50
pounds hydrated lime may be employed.