Dinesh K.

Pancheshwar
Scientist
Plant Pathology
College of Agriculture, JNKVV, Balaghat
 leaf spot of Groundnut

Early and late leaf spots, commonly

called as tikka disease in groundnut.
Economically important foliar fungal
diseases.
According to Woodruff (1933) designated the
disease
Early leaf spot (ELS) caused by: Cercospora
arachidicola and
Late leaf spot (LLS) caused by: Phaeoisariopsis
personata (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Arx
Infection causes early death of the
leaves and dramatic yield loss. This is
estimated to range from 10% to 80%
and varies according to the
environment and availability of control
methods.
 Distribution of disease
 Leaf spot causes significant yield loss, and can
be found wherever Groundnut is grown. This
includes areas such as USA, Australia, Fiji,
Solomon Islands and Tonga.
 In India states such as Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
 Symptoms
The first symptom of both the leaf spots is
the appearance of pale areas on the upper
surface of older leaves.
As the lesions develop the two species can
be distinguished.
 Symptoms of early leaf spot
Sub circular to irregular shape. (tend to coalesce later)
Reddish brown to black on upper leaf surface
(surrounded by a yellow chloratic halo).
Light brown on lower leaf surface.
Absent or indistinct on lower leaf .
Sporulation mainly occurs on upper leaf surface and turn
to reddish brown colour.
Occurs 3-4 weeks after sowing.
Early leaf spot symptoms
 Symptoms of late leaf spot
Smaller spots and more nearly circular than early
leaf sot lesion (1 to 6 mm in dia).
dark grey or black on lower leaf surface.
No yellow halo around them.
Concentric rings of conidia microscopically visible
on the lower surface.
Symptoms also develop on petioles, stipules,
stems and pegs.
Occurs 5-7 weeks after sowing.
LLS
Cercospora arachidicola Phaeoisariopsis
(ELS) personata (LLS)
LARGER SPOTS SMALLER SPOTS
NOT PERFECTLY CIRCULAR MOST NEARLY CIRCULAR
YELLOW HALO IS SURROUND NOT YELLOW HALO OCCURS,
THE SPOT MAY OCCUR IN LATER STAGE
LOWER SURFACE LIGHT LOWER SURACE DEEP BLACK
BROWN IN COLOUR IN COLOUR
RAPID DEVELOPMENT SLOW DEVELOPMENT
CONIDIA MOSTELY CONIDIAL PRODUCTION
CONFINED TO UPPER RESTRICTED TO LOWER
SURACE SURFACE
CONCENTRIC RING NOT CONCENTRIC RING
PRODUCED PRODUCED BY
CONIDIOPHORES
 Taxonomy of Cercospora arachidicola
Sexual stage: (Mycosphaerella arachidis)

Kingdom : Fungi
Phylum : Ascomycota
Class : Dothideomycetes
Subclass : Dothideomycetidae
Order : Capnodiales
Family : Mycosphaerellaceae
Genus : Cercospora
Species : C. arachidicola
Scientific classification of Phaeoisariopsis personata
Sexual stage (Mycosphaerella berkeleyii)

Kingdom : Fungi
Phylum : Ascomycota
Class : Dothideomycetes
Subclass : Dothideomycetidae
Order : Capnodiales
Family : Mycosphaerellaceae
Genus : Phaeoisariopsis
Species : P. personata
 CERCOSPORA ARACHIDICOLA CHARACTER

Mycelium : intercellular becoming intracellular,

lack in haustoria, dark brown in colour.
Conidiophores : 5 to many, yellowish brown, dark
at base, unbranched, continuous or with 1 or 2
septa.
Conidia : subhyaline, pale yellow, often curved, 1
to 12 septate, round at base and subacute at tip.
DISEASE CYCLE OF CERCOSPORA ARACHIDICOLA
 PHAEOISARIOPSIS PERSONATA CHARACTER
Mycelium : septate, intercellular, branched
haustoria, stroma dense and
seudoparanchymatous.
Conidiophores: pale to olivaceous brown in
colour, one to 3 geniculated or not, septate or
continuous, simple or rarely branched emerging
through ruptured epidermis in dense fascicle.
Conidia: cylindrical, olivaceous, straight or
slightly curved, mostly 3-4septate, rounded at
apex, base shortly tapered.
DISEASE CYCLE OF CERCOSPORA PERSONATA
 Section of groundnut leaves passing through the
spots.
a: host tissues,
b: fungal stroma arising from stomatal chamber,
c: conidiphores with knee-shaped bending,
d: conidia
Germination and penetration of conidia
 FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS

 Prolonged high relative humidity (More than

85%) for 3 days.
 Low temperature (20°C) with dew on leaf
surface.
 Heavy doses of nitrogen and phosphorus
fertilizers.
 Deficiency of magnesium in soil.
 MODE OF SURVIVAL
The pathogen survives for a long period in the
infected plant debris through conidia, dormant
mycelium in soil.
 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SPREAD

 The primary infection is by ascospores or conidia

from infected plant debris or infected seeds.
 The secondary spread is by wind blown conidia. Rain
splash also helps in the spread of conidia.
 MANAGEMENT OF TIKKA DISEASE
 Remove and destroy the infected plant debris.
 Keep weeds under control.
 Grow tolerant varieties can be grown wherever early leaf
spot is severe.
 Intercropping pearl millet or sorghum with groundnut
(1 : 3) is useful in reducing the intensity of EL spot.
 Crop rotation with non-host crops preferably cereals..
 Treat the seeds with 1g carbendazim + 2g thiram per kg.
 Soaking of seeds in 0.5% CuSO4 –half an hour.
 Spraying of carbendazim 0.1% or mancozeb 0.2% or
chlorothalanil 0.2% or Dithane Z – 78 , Dithane M-45 –
0.2%
 Fungicides against Tikka
• Pyraclostrobin 20% WG @ 2ml /liter
• Bitertanol 25% WP @ 2ml /liter
• Chlorothalonil 75% WP @ 0.1%
• Difenoconazole 25% EC @ 0.1%
• Hexaconazole 5% EC @ 3ml/litre
• Hexaconazole 75 % WG @ 0.13ml/litre
• Metiram 70% WG @ 3ml/litre
• Propiconazole 25% EC @ 0.6 ml/litre
 Wilt of Groundnut

Caused by: Fusarium oxysporum

 Symptoms

Fusarium oxysporum includes many different

species, which generally produce symptoms such
as wilting, chlorosis, necrosis, premature leaf
drop and browning of the vascular system. The
most common symptom is wilting, which can
cause massive losses.
The disease normally occurs in plants subjected to
prolonged drought stress.
Infected plants may wilt suddenly or gradually.
When plants wilt suddenly all their leaves turn grayish-
green, and in dry weather the entire plant becomes
bleached and dry.
When slow wilting occurs the foliage becomes chlorotic,
and leaflets are shed before the plant dies.
There are no external symptoms on either the stem or
roots, but if the roots are cut longitudinally, vascular
discoloration is evident.
This discoloration is a common feature of other
vascular wilts caused by Verticillium spp and
Pseudomonas solanacearum.
Hence, field diagnosis of fusarium wilt must be
confirmed by laboratory tests.
Pegs and pods may be invaded by the fungus
which causes a pink discoloration of the inner
pod surface.