DISEASES OF ORNAMENTAL CROPS

Gladiolus
1.Fusarium Corm Rot
Etiology
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Gladioli

Mycelium is hyaline, branched, septate, well developed and cottony in appearance.The

fungus survives in infected corms and in the soil as mycelium, chlamydospores,
macroconidia and microconidia.

Symptoms
● Symptoms show as paling and yellowing of leaves
which progresses until the entire plant is dead.
● Plants may wilt in the middle of the day and seem to
recover at night.
● Some plants may show no signs of infection until
they come into flower, when they suddenly collapse.
● Dead leaves may fall over or remain upright.
● Corm infection shows as a brown rot at the basal
plate extending upward, and if the corm is cut
across, brown lines or streaks radiate from the core
to the nodes.

Management
● Select clean planting stock and discard all diseased corms. Corms grown from
cormels in clean soil usually are healthier than corms grown from corms.
● Plant in clean, well-drained soil.
● Use a 4-year rotation.
● Avoid excessive nitrogen fertility.
● Cure corms quickly after digging. Best results are from curing 48 hours at 95°F,
turning corms once after 24 hours and circulating the air at 200 cu ft/min. Results
were good at lower temperatures, but more time was required. Hold corms for 5
days at 80°F and for 2 weeks at 70°F to cure corms to the same extent.
 ● Store at temperatures of 50°F or less, discarding all diseased corms before
storing.
● that Keep the soil pH between 6.6 and 7.0 and utilizing nitrate forms of nitrogen.

2.Rust
Etiology
Uromyces transversalis

Symptoms
● The first symptoms of GR are small, yellowish spots.
● Symptoms are easily recognized as “typical rust”
with orange sori (small blister like elevations of
epidermis formed when spores have emerged) or
pustules on both sides of the leaves.
● Pustules tend to be elongated across the width of
veins of a leaf and contain many spores.
● Later, the epidermis breaks down, exposing the
pustules full of yellowish-orange spores and
measuring 1 mm x 1 cm.
● Eventually, the pustules coalesce and form larger patches of damaged tissue.

Management
● All gladiolus plant material must be examined by inspectors and certified by
those inspectors to be free of GR symptoms prior to movement from the
packinghouse.
● Use of fungicides like Captan, Chlorothalonil, Copper Ammonium Complex,
Copper Hydroxide, Copper Oxychloride.
● 0.2-percent solution of a quaternary ammonium chloride (QAC) compound.
● Destruction of the infected plant(s) and all plants within a 2-foot radius.

Rose
1.Die back
Causes
● Both overwatering and underwatering can cause this problem.
● Another cause is poor soil quality with no proper nutrients.
● Poor absorption due to soil ph problems. Rose plant needs a PH of around 6.5.
● Poor pruning technique, particularly where the buds are damaged or long pruning
stubs are left above them.

Symptoms
● Browning and dieback of the tips of young shoots in spring
(usually the result of frost damage).
● Browning and dieback of a pruning stub, which then
progresses further down the branch (the result of a poor
pruning technique).
● Dieback of twigs, branches, main stems or even the whole
plant at any time of year (various causes).
● Fungal structures, such as tiny black fruiting bodies, are
sometimes visible on the affected parts of the plant.
● In some instances there may also be associated root decay.

Management
● Plant roses in well-prepared soil, making sure that the roots are well spread out.
● Do not plant roses into soil that has grown roses previously, without taking
remedial action. Change the soil to a depth of at least 30cm (1ft) and a width of
at least 60cm (2ft). The use of a mycorrhizal additive at planting can also be
considered although these products are still undergoing experimental evaluation
into their effectiveness.
● Avoid soils that are prone to either drought or waterlogging.
● Feed plants in spring with a proprietary rose fertilizer and mulch the soil to
prevent water loss.
● Remove all dead and damaged wood as soon as it is seen. Also remove weak
and crossing branches during routine pruning.
● Pruning cuts should be finished cleanly, and made immediately above and
sloping away from an outward facing bud.

2.Black spot
Etiology
Diplocarpon rosae

Symptoms
● Black spots, one-tenth to one-half inch in diameter,
develop first on upper leaf surfaces.
● Areas adjacent to the black spots turn yellow and
leaves drop prematurely, usually beginning at the
bottom of the plant and progressing upward.
● Less commonly, raised purple-red blotches develop
on immature wood of first year canes.
● These spots may later become blackened and
blistered.
● Small, black, scabby lesions may also appear on
young stems

Life Cycle
The disease overwinters in diseased canes and infested fallen leaves. The fungal
spores germinate in the spring and are disseminated by splashing water. Fungal
spores on the leaf surface must be continuously wet for at least seven hours for
infection to occur. Once infection is established, the fungus will develop fruiting
bodies called acervuli in black lesions which, in turn, produce spores that splash
to new tissue, spreading the disease.

MANAGEMENT
● To minimize overwintering of the fungus, collect and remove all leaves from the
ground in the fall, mulch with 2–3 inches of leaf mold or fine bark, and prune
diseased canes before growth begins in spring.
● Keep the foliage dry. Do not use overhead watering, or if you do, water early in
the day so the foliage is dry by nighttime.
● Prune plants to allow more air circulation and facilitate the drying of foliage.
● Pesticides registered for use include captan, chlorothalonil (Daconil), copper,
ferbam, mancozeb, maneb, triforine (Funginex), sulfur, thiophanate methyl
(Cleary 3336), and ziram. Most fungicides need to be applied every 7–14 days.
Fungicides need to be reapplied following rain or overhead watering in excess of
1/4 inch.
● Replant with more disease-tolerant varieties. Avoid highly susceptible cultivars,
including most yellow and copper-colored roses.
 ● Roses reported to be highly resistant are: ‘Fortyniner,’ ‘Coronado,’ ‘Carefree
Beauty,’ ‘Simplicity,’ ‘Bonica,’ and ‘Grand Opera.’ Ask about others at your
nursery or check mail order sources

3.POWDERY MILDEW
Etiology
Podosphaera pannosa

Symptoms
● A white, powdery fungal growth on the leaves
and shoots. Upper, lower or both leaf surfaces
can be affected
● There may be discolouration (yellow, reddish or
purple) of the affected parts of the leaf, and
heavily infected young leaves can be curled
and distorted.
● Mildew growth may also be found on the stems,
flower stalks, calyces and petals
● Heavily infected flower buds frequently fail to
open properly
● Mildew growth on stems (where it is often found
surrounding thorns) and flower stalks is usually thicker and more mat-like than
that on the leaves
● The mildew growth on all parts may turn browner as it ages.

Management
● Clean up and dispose of fallen leaves and debris surrounding plants.
● Prune infected plant parts and dispose of them properly.
● Provide plants with adequate nutrients and water to maintain their immune
defenses.
● Keep the soil well watered and mulched to prevent moisture loss and to cover up
overwintering spores.
● Space plants far enough apart to provide good air circulation and prune them
regularly to prevent overcrowding.
● Use fans to provide adequate ventilation during humid nights.
 ● Water the roses in mid-morning so the foliage can dry rapidly and to avoid
infection by other fungal pathogens.
·

Orchids
1.Leaf spot
Etiology
Phyllosticta capitalensis

Symptoms

● Elongated tiny purplish or black spots along

the veins of the leaves.
● These lesions gradually grow in size, appear
as long, blackish, diamond-shaped streaks,
and eventually take on the characteristic
eyespot appearance .
● As the infection progresses, the spots can
coalesce to cover the leaf.
● The leaf may eventually die and
drop.elongated tiny purplish or black spots along the veins of the leaves.

Management
● Isolate new plants for a period of a month to two months if possible before
introducing them to the rest of the collection.
● Watering practices should allow for the plant to dry before nightfall, to keep the
environment less hospitable to fungi and bacteria that thrive in moist, dark and
cooler conditions.
● Keep the growing environment clean Remove all dead plant material and allow
for adequate air circulation between and around plants.
● Remove and dispose of affected leaves from infected plants to keep the fungal
spores from spreading into the growing environment.
● Repeated applications of fungicides such as Dithane M45, Captan, Ferbam,
Mancozeb or thiophanate-methyl.

2.Black rot
Etiology
Pythium and Phytophthora species.

Symptoms
● Small black lesions can be observed on the roots or
basal portions of the pseudobulbs.
● As the lesions age, they enlarge and may engulf the
entire pseudobulb and leaf.
● The pathogen can spread through the rhizome to other
portions of the plant.
● Eventually, the entire plant will be killed.

Host Range
Aerides, Ascocenda, Brassavola, Dendrobium, Gongora

Management
● Potting media should also be sterilized as spores and hyphae can survive in dust
or free water.
● Avoiding symptomatic plants and isolating new plants from larger populations is
helpful
● Drenches of a protectant fungicide such as Truban or Terrazole are
recommended if the disease is diagnosed early.
● Captan, Dithane M-45 and Physan 20 have also been recommended by some
growers for control of black rot.

3.Root, rhizome and pseudobulb rot

Causes
● Prevalent when potting soil is not sterile
● Root rot occurs when the medium breaks
down, drainage is poor and/or plants are
overwatered

Symptoms
● Leaves and pseudobulbs become yellow,
shriveled, thin and twisted and new
growths become progressively smaller.
 ● The roots usually show a brown rot with white or brown fungal growth. In severe
infections, the fungus girdles and kills the plant.
● The infection quickly invades the lower leaves and rhizomes of small seedlings.

Management
● Remove infected part of roots and leaves using a sterile cutting tool, drench the
remaining plant in a protectant fungicide like thiophanate methyl or systemic
fungicide.
● Disinfect growing area with 10% bleach solution.
● Make sure your potting media is fresh and your plants are not overwatered.
● When disease is suspected in other plants or when repotting is overdue, unpot
the plants, check their roots and repot as necessary.

Tuberose
1.Stem rot
Etiology
Sclerotium rolfsii

Symptoms
● Appearance of prominent, coarse, mycelial
masses on the leaf surface or near the soil
level.
● Later, the infested spots exhibit a light-green
colour due to rotting which extend and cover
the whole leaf.
● The infected leaves get detached from the
plant. More or less round sclerotic, brown
spots are formed on and around the infected
leaf.
 ● As a result, the infected plant becomes weak and unproductive.

Management
● The disease can be controlled by drenching the soil around the stem with
brassicol @ 1 % or Zineb (20%) at the rate of 30 kg per hectare.
● Also,the incidence can be minimized by reducing soil moisture or planting at
wider spacing (45 cm X 30 cm).

2.Botrytis Spot
Etiology
Botrytis elliptic

Symptoms
● The disease appears during the rainy season.
● Infected flowers show dark brown spots and
ultimately the entire inflorescence dries up.
● The infection also occurs on the leaves and
stalks.

Management
● Spraying the plants with Carbendazim @2g/litre of water effectively controls the
disease. The treatment should be repeated at 15 days interval.
● Spraying the plant with ammoniacal copper (2%) or Greeno (0.5%). The
treatment should be repeated at 15 days interval.

3.Flower bud rot

Etiology
Erwinia sp.

Symptoms
● It results in dry rotting of the buds with brown
necrotic discoloration of peduncles.
● Disease mainly appears on young flower bud.
● In advanced stage bud shrivel and dry.

Management
● The diseased plants should be uprooted and destroyed.
 ● The disease can be controlled by the spray of Streptomycin (0.01%).
● Spraying of roger 0.1% twice at weekly interval.

Chrysanthemum
1.Black Leaf Spot
Etiology
Septoria chrysanthemi

Septoria chrysanthemella

Symptoms
● spots are at first yellowish, and then become dark
brown and black, increasing from ⅛ to 1 inch or more
in diameter.
● Leaves may wither prematurely. The lower leaves
are infected first.
● With a hand lens white masses of spores may be
seen on the leaf spots.

Management
● Hand pick and destroy the infected leaves.
● Clean up and destroy dead plant debris in the garden to reduce spore
populations.
● Fungicides containing chlorothalonil, mancozeb, myclobutanil, propiconazole or
thiophanate methyl may be used.

2.Powdery Mildew
Etiology
Erysiphe cichoracearum

Symptoms
 ● The leaves are covered with a whitish, ash-gray powdery growth.

Management:
● Remove diseased plant material.
● Spray with myclobutanil, propiconazole or thiophanate methyl

3.Flower rot

Etiology

Botrytis cinerea

Symptoms
● Light brown spots form on lower petals.
● Browning spreads to other petals.
● Infected tissues become covered with dusty gray
spores.

Management
● Space plants for free circulation of air.
● Apply a foliar spray of chlorothalonil or thiophanate
methyl.

Marigold
1.Leaf Spots and Blight
Etiology
Septoria tageticola
Alternaria sp.

Cercospora sp.

Symptoms
● S. tageticola produces oval to irregularly shaped
spots that are smoky gray to black.
● Small, black, fruiting bodies (pycnidia) develop in
the necrotic area. Infections usually start on lower
leaves and progress to higher leaves.
● Alternaria tagetica can result in a blight of leaves,
stems, and flowers. Dark
● Brown necrotic spots form initially and may be
surrounded by a chlorotic halo. Leaf spots can
expand and coalesce leading to wilting and drying
of the leaves with eventual plant death.
● Flower petals can become totally darken and
shriveled.

Cultural control
● Keep leaves dry.
● Plant resistant cultivars.
● Remove and destroy infected leaves.

2. Damping off
Etiology
Pythium sp.

● The disease is most prevalent at the seedling stage.

● Necrotic spots and rings develop on the young seedlings
causing collapse of the seedlings.

Symptoms
 ● A fuzzy whitish mold on the surface of the soil and then goes on to girdle the
succulent stems of newly germinated plants.
● These develop shrunken black stems and eventually fall over and die, though the
stem may remain upright for a while afterward.
● The disease is most prevalent at the seedling stage.
● Necrotic spots and rings develop on the young seedlings causing collapse of the
seedlings.

Control:
● Soil sterilization by Formalin @ 2% before sowing
● spraying of Dithane Z-78 @ 2g/ litre of water are effective in controlling the
disease.

Carnation
1.Fusarium wilt
Etiology
Fusarium oxysporum

Symptoms
● The initial symptoms includes a slow wilting of shoots
accompanied by leaf discoloration that gradually lighten the color
from light green to pale yellow.
● The wilting and chlorosis is generally more evident on one side
of the plant than the other.
● As the disease progresses, the stems split, displaying a
characteristic brown streaking or discoloration in the vascular
tissue.
● As the disease advances, small spores (microconidia) are
produced and carried up through the plant into the vascular
system. This, in turn, interferes with water and nutrient
absorption. As the plant dies, the fungus bursts through the plant
and forms structures called sporodochia, which become airborne
and infect soil and plants nearby.

Management
 ● Ideally, select a soilless, sterile potting medium.
● In the greenhouse, control of fungus gnats helps to prevent the spread of the
disease.
● The diseased plants should be removed immediately after noticing the disease.
Complete root system and surrounding
● Soil should be dug out and disposed off carefully. Soil solarization using clear
transparent polyethylene film (0.1 mm thick) for 30 days gives satisfactory
control.

2.Alternaria leaf spot:

Etiology
Alternaria dianthi

Symptoms
● The chief symptom is blight or rot at leaf base and
around nodes, which are girdled.
● Spots on leaves are ashy white.
● The centre of old spots are covered with dark brown to
black fungal growth.
● Leaves may be constricted and twisted and the tip may
be killed.
● Branches die-back at the girdled area and black
Oagripo
● Crusts of conidia are formed on the cankers.

Management
● To reduce the disease incidence, humidity may be kept low by
● providing proper air circulation.
● Disease-free planting material should be used.
● Planting material should be dipped in Bacillus subtilis 2g/litre of water.

3.Calyx splitting
 ● In calyx splitting, two adjoining sepals of the calyx tube separate, thus petals are
deprived of their support, which results in bending down of petals.
● The regularity of shape and structure of the flower get destroyed.

Causes
● Irregular or fluctuating temperature
● Closer spacing
●
● low boron levels enhance calyx splitting

Management
Spray borax @ 0.1% and place a rubber band around the calyx of the flower which has
started opening,

Gerbera
1.Foot rot and root rot
Etiology
Phytophthora spp.

Symptoms
● The main diagnostic symptoms of the disease
consisted of sudden wilting of the leaves
accompanied by a conspicuous color change from
normal green to dark violet.
● Affected crown and root tissues were soft, water-
soaked, rotted and blackish brown in color.

Management
● Plant in pasteurized potting media
● .Apply a fungicide to protect plants.

2.Alternaria Leaf Spot

Etiology
Alternaria alternata

Symptoms
● Brown specks form on florets and the
leaves.
● Centers become white on the leaf spots.

Management
● Maintain low relative humidity and do not
wet leaves when watering.
● Apply a fungicide to protect plants.

Jasmine
1.Leaf blight
Etiology
Alternaria alternate

Symptoms
● In the leaves dark brown spots appear.
● On fumed condition the spots enlarges covering
larges area causing blighting of leaves. Concentric
rings can be seen the lesions.
● The disease also affects stem, petiole and flowers.
● The infected leaves curl and start drying from the margins
● The flower production is very much reduced in infected plants.

Management
● Collection and removal of fallen leaves.
● Spraying of 0.4% Benlate solution, 0.2% Dithane M-45 or 0.1% Bordeaux mixture
has been found effective in control of the disease.
2.Rust
Etiology
Urornyces hobsoni

Symptoms
● Rust occurs on all the aerial parts of the
plants including flowers.
● Yellowish orange coloured pustules appear
on the lower side of the leaves and also on
young twigs and flowers buds.
● The infected parts become distorted.

Management
● The disease can be controlled by pruning the branches or spraying Copper
Oxychloride (0.3%) or Mancozeb (0.2%).
● Sulphur at the rate of 20-25 kg/ha is also useful.

3.Wilt
Etiology
Fusarium solani
Symptoms
● The disease occurs in patches and the roots turn black.

Management
● Drenching the soil around the plant with 1% Bordeaux mixture controls this
disease.

Dahlia
1.Powdery mildew
Etiology
Erysiphe cichoracearum

Symptoms
● The disease is easily recognizable as a
white to gray powdery growth on leaves
and sometimes stems and flowers.
● May have little or no affect on the plant (other than aesthetic) or it may cause
infected leaves to distort, discolor, wither, and defoliate prematurely.
● Their severity depend upon the cultivar or species of host plant, the powdery
mildew species, environmental conditions, and the age of plant tissue when it
first became infected.

Management
● Removing and properly disposing of infected foliage is the best method for
controlling dahlia powdery mildew.

2.Botrytis blight
A fungal disease commonly known as gray mold, botrytis blight is initially evidenced by
brown, water-soaked spots that enlarge and develop a fuzzy, gray or tan mold as the
disease progresses. Botrytis blight is often a problem in humid weather conditions.
Etiology
Botrytis cinerea

Symptoms
● Young dahlia shoots and flowering buds may become
infected, resulting in fading and browning petals and
destruction and death of other infected parts.
● Buds may be attacked by a soft rot and become covered
with a grayish powdery fungal growth.
● Flowers are frequently blighted.

Management

● Maintain a steady, relatively dry environment by keeping greenhouse humidity

below 90%, increasing spacing between plants for good air circulation, and
taking care not to splash water on foliage during watering.
● Remove and destroy all infected plant tissues, particularly old flowers and
infected leaves.
● Bury or completely compost plant residue.
● Use pathogen-free tubers for planting.
● Mancozeb-based products can be used as mixing partners and provide some
protection