PLANT DISEASES

Identification and
Management
What is a plant disease?

Any malfunctioning/abnormality of the

plant’s cells and tissues that is caused by
the continuous irritation by a pathogenic
agent or environment leading to
development of symptoms
 What are the consequences
of plant diseases?

Cause non-marketable
fruits
Make plants less Rotten fruits
Kill Plants
Deformed fruits
productive Spots on fruits Wilting
Plants less vigorous
Poor root system

Lower Yield
or
No Yield!
 Shoot blight

Leaf Leaf blight

deformations

Fruit spot

Fruit rot

Canker

Leaf spot

Wilt

Vascular wilt

Crown gall

Root rot
 Disease Symptoms

Fruit spots Wilting Yellowing

Leaf spots Fruit Rot Mosaic

 What causes plant diseases?

Plant
Non-Living Factors Living Organisms
Diseases

High/Low Temperatures Fungi

High/Low Soil Moisture Bacteria
High/Low Light Intensity Viruses
Nutrient Toxicity/Deficiency Nematodes
Chemical Toxicity Mollicutes
High/Low Soil pH
 THE DISEASE TRIANGLE

Virulent Favorable
Pathogen Environment

Susceptible Host
 Fungi
• small, generally microscopic
• most live on dead organic matter
• >10,000 of the 100,000 known species can
cause diseases in plants
• can be spread by wind, water, bird, insects,
other animals and humans
• Symptoms include leaf spots, blight, canker,
die back, rot, damping off, anthracnose, scab,
clubroot, galls, warts, leaf curls, wilt, mildew
 General control measures
for fungal diseases
• use of resistant/tolerant varieties
• use of pathogen free seeds or propagating stock
• destruction of plant parts or refuse harboring of the
pathogens; crop rotation
• destruction of alternate hosts of the pathogens
• use of clean tools and containers
• proper drainage of fields and aeration of plants
• support or use of organisms antagonistic or pathogenic to
fungus causing the disease
• application of chemical spray or dust on the plants, on
seeds, or into the soil where the plants are to be sown
 Fusarium Wilt
Fusarium oxysporum

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - ampalaya, tomato, pepper, eggplant, watermelon
• initially, lower leaves show wilting and yellowing
• later, yellowing develops at the upper leaves and eventually whole plant wilt
and dies
• roots show severe browning and decay
• occurs under cool conditions
• seed transmission occurs

Control and Management

• use of resistant varieties/rootstock
• disinfection of beds by solar radiation
• soil amendments (Ca, phosphate, K)
• drenching with benomyl/carbendazim
• seed treatment with garlic extract
 Sclerotium Stem Rot/
Southern Blight
Sclerotium rolfsii
Symptoms & Characteristics
• crops affected - tomato, pepper, legumes
• white silky and thread-like mycelia appear on the stem base
• brown spherical sclerotia, the size is comparable to radish seeds
are formed
• infected plants eventually wilt and die

Control and Management

• good sanitation and crop rotation
• deep plowing/flooding
• drenching with mancozeb/ metalaxyl/carbendazim
 Phythophthora Blight
Phytophthora capsici

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crop affected - pepper
• occurs under high T conditions with excessive soil moisture
• can infect leaves, stems and fruits
• lesions - dark green to dark-brown water-soaked which are irregular
• young seedlings - could wilt and die

Control and Management

• crop rotation
• avoid use of furrow irrigation when heavy
infection occurs
• preventive application of metalaxyl + copper
sprays/chlorothalonil/fosetyl-Al)
 Gummy Stem Blight
Phoma cucurbitacearum

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - squash, watermelon, muskmelon,
cucumber, upo, ampalaya
• lesions are gray to dark gray that normally starts in the
leaf edges
• lesions are usually wedged or V-shape in appearance
• heavily infected plants in the stem could wilt and die
• seed-transmitted; soil-borne

Control and Management

• good field sanitation
• use of fungicides (chlorothalonil, benomyl, methyl
thiopanate)
 Late Blight
Phytophthora infestans

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - tomato, potato
• leaves, stems, fruits and roots are affected
• initially water-soaked irregular lesions on leaf becoming dark gray
• slightly sunken, dark gray irregular lesions develop on the fruit that
eventually rot
• prevalent during the rainy season in cool and humid environments

Control and Management

• use of healthy seeds/ tubers
• avoid dis-budding and defoliation when it rains
• preventive application of systemic fungicides
(metalaxyl, mancozeb, copper-based)
 Early Blight
Alternaria solani

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - tomato
• initially, dark-gray and water-soaked leaf lesions that eventually
develop into large greenish gray round to ellipsoidal spots with
concentric zonations
• later, velvety black molds appear on the lesions
• disease development is enhanced under hot and dry conditions

Control and Management

• early removal and burning of infected leaves
• soil sterilization
• spraying with fungicides (mancozeb, propineb, maneb,
copper-based)
 Powdery Mildew
Erysiphe sp.; Leveillula sp.;Sphaerotheca sp.;Oidium sp.

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - cucumber, patola, upo, ampalaya,
squash, pepper, tomato, eggplant
• occurrence of powdery white mold on the upper
surface of leaves
• leaf lesions are reddish brown on the lower surface of
leaves and yellow on the upper surface with small
amount of white mold (for L. taurica)

Control and Management

• good sanitation, crop rotation & increased light intensity
• spraying with chemical fungicides (sulfur-based, mancozeb,
chlorothalonil)
 Downy Mildew
Pseudoperonospora cubensis

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - ampalaya, cucumber, patola, muskmelon, watemelon
• symptoms appear on the leaves
• initially pale yellow lesions not so angular compared to cucumber, patola
and muskmelon
• lesions turn purplish gray in advanced stages
• an obligate parasite and therefore can not grow on an artificial medium
• low T and high humidity favors disease development

Control and Management

• good field sanitation
• use of fungicides (metalaxyl, maneb, propineb,
mancozeb)
• use of resistant or tolerant varieties
 Leaf Mold
Pseudocercospora fuliginea

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crop affected - tomato
• upper leaf - pale yellow spots with no distinct margin
lower leaf - mass of velvety grayish to black spores
• infected leaves wilt & remain hanging in the plant with a soot-covered
appearance
• pathogen is air-borne
• disease can become serious during the rainy season & the cooler
months of the year

Control and Management

• avoid dense planting especially during rainy months
• appropriate fertilization and watering
• chemical fungicides spray (mancozeb+copper
hydroxide, chlorothalonil, difenoconazole)
 Cercospora leaf spot
Cercospora spp.

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - pepper, tomato, ampalaya, legumes, okra, watermelon,
other cucurbits
• affects leaves, petioles, peduncles and stems
• leaf spots are pale brown to brown, circular & with white or tan center
• severely affected leaves show yellowing and then fall
• wet conditions and warm temperature favor disease development
• pathogen is air-borne

Control and Management

• spray program of protectant fungicides (benomyl
followed with chlorothalonil; copper-based,
mancozeb, maneb)
 Anthracnose
Colletotrichum spp.

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - pepper, watermelon, onions, melon,
legumes
• generally occurs at the ripening stage of chili fruits
especially with a prolonged humid conditions
• symptoms on leaves are pale brown to grey with distinct
margins (except for onion) spots
• fruit lesions appear as brown discoloration, sunken,
wrinkled & dark with concentric rings
Control and Management
• good field sanitation & crop rotations of 2-3 years
• use of pathogen-free seed
• use of fungicides (benomyl, mancozeb, copper
oxychloride)
 Phytophthora rot
Phytophthora spp.

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crop affected - watermelon, melon, cucumber, squash
• leaves - large dark green lesions
• fruits - water-soaked lesions with visible white powdery
mycelia under dry conditions and white cottony mold under
high humidity conditions

Control and Management

• removal of infected plants
• application of fungicides (fosetyl-alluminum,
promocarb hydrochloride)
 Damping-Off
Pythium spp.; Phytophthora spp.

Symptoms and Characteristics

• Crops affected: watermelon, bittergourd, bottlegourd, spongegourd, tomato,
pepper, eggplant, onion
• Occurs in nursery beds; stems of seedlings become water-soaked, soft and
slender and then falls
• Affected roots turn brown and then rot
• When stem base near the roots are cut, the vessels show more or less
intense brown markings
• The pathogens can survive in the soil as saprophytes on dead organic matter

Management and Control

• Drenching of nursery beds with captan fungicide or treat (coat) seeds with 0.2 to 0.4%
captan.
• Thorough cleaning of seedling trays and pots and soaking in 10 mg/L chlorine
• Over watering or excess moisture must be avoided
• Exposure of beds to solar radiation to minimize fungal population
• Fungicides such as propamocarb hydrochloride (Proplant®, Previcur-N®) and
metalaxyl (Apron®) can be used to drench seedlings or affected plants
 Phomopsis
Phomopsis vexans

Symptoms and Characteristics

• Prevalent during rainy season at higher temperatures
• Can infect leaves, stems and fruits
• Symptoms on leaves consist of brown, round or irregular and
concentric zonate lesions with small black specks (pycnidia)
• On stems, long sunken brown lesions are formed
• Brown, round and sunken zonate lesions develop on fruits
• The fungus is seed-transmitted

Control and Management

• Good cultural management and early removal of infected plants
or plant parts
• Application of copper-based fungicides (Cupravit®, Funguran®,
Kocide®, Nordox®).
 Bacteria
• microscopic organisms that are generally
single-celled
• can survive on crop residue, seed tubers,
volunteer plants, in the soil or in water
• can be spread mechanically or through water,
insects or through infected planting materials
• causes leaf spots and blight, soft rots, wilt,
overgrowths, scabs and cankers.
 General control measures
for bacterial diseases
• use of resistant varieties
• use of healthy seeds or transplants
• removing and burning of infected plants or branches
• decontamination of tools and hands after handling diseased
plants
• adjust watering and fertilization
• crop rotation with non-host plants
• use of foliar spray and copper compounds (for spots)
– zineb, maneb, or mancozeb mixed with copper compounds
 Bacterial Wilt
Ralstonia solanacearum

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - tomato, eggplant, pepper, potato, tobacco,
ampalaya, squash
• wilting of whole plants that normally start with the shoot
apex
• browning of the vascular strands of the basal part of stem
• presence of grayish or whitish bacterial exudate (ooze)

Control and Management

• crop rotation for at least 3-5 years
• use of resistant/tolerant variety (e.g. Diamante,
Majesty, Django)
• use of resistant rootstock in grafted seedlings
 Bacterial Spot
Xanthomonas sp.

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - tomato, pepper
• initial symptoms consist of dark brown circular to irregularly
shaped small spots (leaves) and yellowing of leaf margins
• fruits - water-soaked brown dots that develop into scabby
spots slightly raised in the center

Control and Management

• seed treatment (hotwater 50C, 25 min/1.3%sodium
hypochlorite solution, 1 min)
• application/spraying with copper- mancozeb
mixture (2x a week)
• use of resistant varieties
 Viruses
25nm

• very tiny molecules - seen only through

electron microscope
• depend on other organisms for their survival
and reproduction
• they can cause dwarfing, yellowing, curling,
mottling, overgrowths, etc.
• can be transmitted by vegetative propagation
(eg. grafting, cuttings, tubers, etc.),
mechanical, seed, pollen, insect, nematode,
fungus and dodder plants.
 General control measures
for viral diseases
• use of resistant varieties
• use of virus free seeds, tubers, budwood, etc.
• protect plants from virus vectors (e.g., use of
plastic mulch, attractants, insect traps, use of
insecticides)
• remove weeds that serve as alternate hosts
 Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus
(TYLCV)

Symptoms and Characteristics

• crop affected - tomato
• leaf curling, twisting, dwarfism, inter-veinal yellowing
• white fly (Bemisia tabaci) transmits the virus in a
persistent manner
 Tobacco Mosaic Virus
(TMV)

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - tomato, pepper
• mosaic on leaves and narrowing of leaf tips
• occasionally wilting of stems and leaves and necrosis on
fruits
• transmitted by seeds, by soil through debris of infected
plants, and mechanically
 Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
(TSWV or Tospovirus)

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - tomato, pepper
• yellowing of leaves and wilt of leaf tips followed by brown
necrotic lesions on leaves and necrotic streaks on stems
and petioles
• fruits are distorted with irregularly raised necrotic lesions
• wide host range (legumes, other solanaceous crops)
• transmitted by thrips but not transmitted in the seeds
 Papaya Ringspot Virus
(PRSV)

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - papaya, squash, watermelon,
upo, etc.
• mottling/netting, vein banding, cupping of
leaves
• leaf curling and leaf deformation
 Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV)

Symptoms & Characteristics

• crops affected - cucumber, pepper, watermelon, eggplant,
other cucurbits
• mosaic on leaves and sometimes filiform leaves
• necrosis on the stems and leaves
• necrosis and sunscald on the fruits
• wide host range
• can be transmitted in the seeds and transmitted by aphids
 Zucchini Yellow
Mosaic Virus (ZYMV)
Symptoms & Characteristics
• crops affected - squash, watermelon
• leaves - initially yellow spots or vein clearing followed
by distinct mosaic, large lobation and malformation
• fruits - dark green warts and malformation
• not transmitted through seeds but can be transmitted
by aphids
 Squash Leaf Curl
Virus (SLCV)
Symptoms & Characteristics
• crop affected - squash
• transmitted in a persistent manner by white fly
(Bemicia tabaci )
• causes severe stunting and leaf curling which
sometimes result to death of plants and reduction in
yield
• mottling of inter-veinal tissues and green vein banding
is also associated with leaf veins
• enations/overgrowths may also occur on the lower
part of the infected leaf.
 Watermelon Silver Motlle
Virus (WSMoV)
Symptoms & Characteristics
• crops affected - watermelon, melon
• leaf symptoms - mottling, crinkling, yellow
spotting, silver mottling
• fruit - small, malformed with necrotic spots or
silver mottling
• shortened internodes, plant stunting, upright
growth of younger branches & tip necrosis
• transmitted by thrips
 Namamarako/CABYV
Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus

 Symptoms & Characteristics

 crops affected - ampalaya, cucumber, melon, zucchini
 thickening of the leaves; leaves become shiny; ‘plastic’
appearance
 yellowing patches in older leaves
 predominantly male flowers; in extreme cases, no flowers at all
 vein banding; growth stunting
 severely reduce yield
 transmitted by aphids in a persistent manner
Control and Management
• crop rotation coupled with good cultural management
• use of reflectorized plastic mulch can minimize infection
• use insecticide to control the aphid population
 Other plant pathogens
Nematodes
• generally microscopic, worm-
like animals that live
saprophytically in water or soil,
or as parasite of plants and
animal
• causes root galls, root lesions,
excessive root branching,
injured root tips
• can spread by its own
movement, farm tools, water,
animals

Root galls, wilt

 Other plant pathogens
Mollicutes
• small, wall-less bacteria that
lives in the phloem cells of
their hosts
• causes stunting, yellowing or
reddening of leaves,
proliferation of shoots and
roots, production of abnormal
flowers, and eventual death of
plant
Little leaf disease
• can be transmitted by leaf (phytoplasma)
hoppers
PLANT STRESSES
Symptoms & Characteristics
Blossom-end Rot
 light tan lesions which turn into Calcium deficiency, drought
brown sunken areas at the blossom
end of the fruit
 lesions becomes leathery
accompanied by dry rot
 internal black rot of tissue is
observed in the center of the fruit
 any soil condition affecting the
uptake of calcium may result in this
dis-order
 occurs in acid soils with high salt
content

Control and Management

• liming (4 kg calcium carbonate/cubic meter), in severe cases, spraying
with a solution of 71/2g calcium nitrate per liter
• spraying with calcium hydroxide (40-60g/16L water)
Symptoms & Characteristics Nitrogen Toxicity
 restricted growth; leaves are shorter
than normal, look stiff and are dark
green
 in severe cases, leaf margins
become dessicated and sunken
watery spots appear and affected
leaf tissues dry and turn whitish gray
 induced by excessive top dressings
of N or of organic materials or by
uneven distribution

Control and Management

• sufficient watering
• avoid excessive/uneven application of N
or of organic materials
 Herbicide Injury
Symptoms & Characteristics
 yellowing/chlorosis of leaf base
 usually seen in plants near fence
rows or borders
 often results from the use of highly
volatile herbicide or spraying during
windy periods

Control and Management

• spray weeds only when there is no
wind or when plants are upwind from
the areas to be sprayed
• use herbicide that are less volatile
Cherry A. Relevante
Junior Plant Pathologist
Lani M. Manahan
Plant Pathology Assistant
Tel Nos 044-901-1260
/1370