Unit 3
Unit 3
Symptoms
• The stalk of the infected plants can be recognized by
greyish streak.
• The pith becomes shredded and greyish black
minute sclerotia develop on the vascular bundles.
• The crown region of the infected plant becomes dark
in colour.
• Shredding of root bark and disintegration of root
system are the common features.
Symptoms
Pathogen
The fungus produces large number of sclerotia which are
round and black in colour. Sometimes, it
produces pycnidia on the stems or stalks.
Favourable Conditions
High temperature and low soil moisture (drought)
Disease cycle
The primary source of infection is through soil-borne
sclerotia. The fungus over winters as a sclerotia in the soil
and infects the host at susceptible crop stage through roots
and proceeds towards stem.
Pathogen
Management
Pathogen
• Pathogen produces dark brown or black
coloured, non-septate hyphae.
• It produces many aerial stolons and rhizoids.
• Sproangia are globose and black in colour with
a central columella.
• The sporangiospores are dark coloured and
ovoid.
Pathogen
Management
• Seed treatment with Thiram or Carbendazim @ 2
g/kg.
• Control the caterpillars feeding on the heads.
• Spray the head with Mancozeb at 2 kg/ha during
intermittent rainy season and repeat after 10 days.
3. Basal rot
Causal organism: Sclerotium rolfsii
Symptoms
• Initial symptoms of the disease appear in 40 DAS.
• Plants dry up due to the disease infestation.
• The lower portion of stem is covered with white or
brownish white fungal colonies.
• Dark brown lesions appear on the base of the stem
near ground level, leading to withering.
• In extreme cases the plants wilts and dies and large
numbers of sclerotia are seen.
Survival and spread
Infection occurs in the crop in the month of July and
August and it survives through sclerotia in soil and
plant debris.
Management
• Collection and destruction of plant debris.
• Seed treatment with Captan or Carboxin 3g/kg.
• Drenching the base of the plant with Carbendazim
1g/lit.
Alternaria leaf blight
Alternaria helianthi
Septoria leaf blight
Septoria helianthi
Rust
Puccinia helianthi
Powdery mildew
Erysiphe cichoracearum
Downy mildew
Plasmopara halstedii
Diseases of Mustard
(Brassica sp.)
Diseases of Mustard
Fungal diseases
1. White rust: Albugo candida
2. Alternaria blight: Alternaria brassicae
3. Downy mildew: Peronospora parasitica
4. Powdery mildew: Erysiphe polygoni
5. Club root: Plasmodiophora brassicae
6. Sclerotinia stem rot: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Bacterial diseases
1. Bacterial blight: Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris
Viral diseases
1. Mosaic: Cauliflower /Rai /Turnip mosaic virus
1. White rust
Causal organism: Albugo candida
Symptoms
• Both local and systemic infections are observed.
Favourable conditions
Moist relative humidity (˃70%) coupled with warm
weather (12-25 °C) and intermittent rains favours
disease development.
Management
Favourable conditions
Moist relative humidity (˃70%) coupled with warm
weather (12-25 °C) and intermittent rains favours disease
development.
Management
• Crop rotation.
• Removal of infected plants and plant parts.
• Use of healthy seeds.
• Seed treatment with Trichoderma harzianum @10 g/kg
seed
• Spray of Mancozeb 75 WP @2 kg/ha or Ridomil MZ 72
WP @ 2 g/ l of water.
3. Downy mildew
Causal organism: Peronospora parasitica
Symptoms
•Grayish white irregular necrotic patches develop on
the lower surface of leaves.
•Later under favourable conditions, brownish white
fungal growth may also be seen on the spots.
Favourable conditions
Temperature range of 10-20°C and relative humidity (>90%).
Life cycle
Management
• Crop rotation.
• Removal of infected plants and plant parts.
• Avoid overirrigation.
• Spray of Mancozeb or chlorothalonil or oxathiapiprolin
@ 2 g/ l of water.
4. Powdery mildew
Causal organism: Erysiphe polygoni
5. Club root
Causal organism: Plasmodiophora brassicae
Finger and Toe
Symptoms
• Affected plants remain stunted.
• Tiny nodules to large club shaped outgrowths
develop in root system.
• Leaves turn pale green or yellow followed by wilting
and under severe conditions, the plants die.
Management
• Removal of plant debris.
• Soil solarisation.
• Use of resistant varieties.
• Use of susceptible plants— mustard, radish, turnip
etc.
6. Sclerotinia stem rot
Causal organism: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Symptoms
• Elongated water soaked lesions appear on stem near
to the crown region, covered with cottony mycelial
growth later on.
• Plant looks like whitish from distance at internodes
or base.
• Premature ripening and shredding of stem, wilting
and drying.
• Brown to black sclerotial bodies may also be seen in
the later stage on the infected plant parts.
Survival and spread
The pathogen survives as mycelium in dead or live
plants and as sclerotia in infected plant parts or on the
soil surface or with seed as contaminant.
Favourable conditions
High humidity (90-95%) and average temperature (18-
25oC) along with wind favours the disease development.
Management
• Use crop rotation.
• Avoid planting next to a field that had
severe Sclerotinia in the past four or five years.
• Plant thoroughly cleaned seed.
• Avoid dense stands of canola.
7. Bacterial blight or Bacterial black rot
Causal organism: Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris
Symptoms
• The leaf tissue turns yellow and chlorosis reach
towards the centre of the leaf and form V shaped area
with base of V towards the midrib.
• The veins show brown to black discoloration.
• Midrib cracking of lower leaves, browning of veins
and withering is observed.
• Dark coloured streaks are formed on the stem which
enlarges and girdle the stem.
• Stem become hollow due to internal rotting.
• In severe cases, the vesicular bundles of the stem
also turn brown and the plant collapses.
Survival and spread
• The pathogen survives in infected plant residue in soil
and seed.
• The pathogen spreads by soil and irrigation water.
Favourable conditions
Warm and humid climate favours the disease
development
Management
• Seed treatment with mercuric chloride for 30 min.
• Hot water treatment of seed @50°C for 30 min.
• A three year rotation of the crop is desirable.
• Strict sanitary precautions should be maintained.