Fungal Plant Diseases-

1.White Rust of Crucifers- White rust or white blisters

disease is one of the common diseases of crucifer crops. It is
worldwide in distribution occurring in all the areas wherever crop is
cultivated. Both wild and cultivated varieties are attacked. The
disease affects a large number of crucifer crops of economic
importance like Mustard, Cress, Rape, Radish, Cabbage, Cauliflower,
turnip etc. In India the disease is reported on Mustard, Rape, Eruca
sativa, turnip. Cauliflower and Cleome viscosa.
Host- cruciferous plants that include vegetables such as kale,
Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage.
Pathogen- Albugo Candida (Lev.) Kunze or Cystopus candidus
Lev. is an obligate parasite.
Symptoms- Isolated spots or pustules appear on leaves or stems or
inflorescence. The pustules are of variable size, measuring 1 -2 mm in
diameter and are raised shiny white areas.
These may arise in close proximity and coalesce to form large
irregular patches. Usually, the pustules appear in circular or
concentric arrangement with one or two central areas.
The host epidermis ruptures exposing white powdery mass
consisting of spores of the Fungus. Pustules occurring on leaves are
usually confined to the lower surface only.
In systemic infections-
Young stems and inflorescence are infected. The fungus becomes
systemic in these parts and the affected tissues are stimulated to
various types of deformities.
The most prominent is Hypertrophy of the affected parts. Due to
Hypertrophy and hyperplasia of floral parts, these show swellings
and distortion.
The peduncle and pedicel may become enormously thickened upto
12-15 times, the normal diameter. Floral parts become fleshy,
swollen, green or violet in colour, the stamens falling off early.
The petal may turn green sepal like and stamens and carpels are also
converted to swollen leaf like structures. The ovules are usually
atrophied as also the pollen grains resulting in total sterility.
Pustules may also appear on these parts. However, the affected parts
are full of oospores and starch.
The stem and the axis of the inflorescence may get twisted appearing
in a zigzag sequence. Normal dormant buds are stimulated and grow
into lateral shoots.
Disease Cycle- The primary infection occurs due to oospores
perennating in the soil or due to mycelium perennating on perennial
hosts. These serve as primary inoculum when the environmental
conditions are favourable.
Oospores germinate in presence of water to form a vesicle in which a
large number of zoospores are formed. These zoospores swim in a
film of water and land on the suitable host, germinate by germ
tubes, enter the host and establish infection.
After absorbing nutrients, the mycelium accumulates below the
lower epidermis. Conidiophores, which are clavate and formed at the
tip of hyphae begin to produce conidiosporangia in basipetal
succession. The pressure of these breaks open the lower epidermis
and white rust symptoms become apparent on the leaves.
Conidiosporangia produced during early phase of the growing season
causes secondary infection in the host and these are blown away by
wind or any other agency, land on the host surface and germinate to
form zoospores.
When the conditions become unfavourable or during the later phase
of the growing season, the fungus begins sexual reproduction
producing oospores, which are thick-walled, and can withstand the
unfavourable conditions.
The pathogen can be spread by many different methods including
infected produce and leaves, infected crop debris, rain or irrigation
splash, wind and soil, infected seedlings and/or contaminated seed.
Control Measures- Registered fungicides should be used in
conjunction with cultural management practices as part of an
integrated pest management program. Brassica producers should not
depend on a single method to manage the disease.
Chemical method
A fungicide resistance management strategy should also be followed
because Albugo candida, which causes the white blister disease, can
rapidly develop resistance to fungicides.
The following fungicides are recommended for use in management of
the disease.
Non Chemical method
Prevent the movement of soil and organic matter into the nursery
production area.
Producers rearing their own seedlings should follow the information
for production nurseries, ensuring seedling production areas are not
located close to cropping areas.
Regularly inspect the crops for symptoms of the disease.
Remove volunteer brassica crop plants and weeds, particularly around
crops and in non-host crops.
Thoroughly clean machinery and equipment leaving the farm to
prevent build-up of soil and organic matter.
Increase ventilation between plants by aligning planting rows in the
direction of the prevailing wind and/or increasing the space between
plants and planting rows.
Plant varieties that are less susceptible to the disease.
2. Late Blight of Potato- Late blight is caused by the
fungal-like oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans. The primary
host is potato, but P. Infestans also can infect other solanaceous
plants, including tomatoes, petunias and hairy nightshade. These
infected species can act as source of inoculum to potato.
In North America, late blight survives between seasons in infected
seed tubers, cull piles and volunteer plants. This potentially
devastating disease can infect potato foliage and tubers at any stage
of crop development. Knowing the symptoms and disease cycle of
this rapidly destructive disease is necessary to implement
management options.
Host- potato
Pathogen- Phytophthora infesting.
Symptoms- In northeastern North America, the symptoms of late
blight generally appear later in the growing season, after flowering.
The decaying leaves of blight infected plants give of a musty-fishy
odour. Symptoms of infection can be seen on potato plant foliage,
stems, flower, and tubers.
On Leaves- The first symptoms are olive to dark green spots which
appear on the upper surface of the leaves close to the leaf tip or leaf
margins. They can be dry but will often look water-soaked. Under
light, the margins of the leaf zone that have been infected will look
watery and light green, indicating the continuing progression of the
fungus. These areas spread as the disease progresses, turn brown
and die. These symptoms first appear on the lower leaves of the
plant except in very wet conditions.
When it is cool and humid, the underside of the leaves in blight-
infected plants will be covered with a whitish or greyish mold-like
fungal growth: the mycelium.
On the Stem- On the stem, infected parts will appear brown just
below the growing point – sort of dark strips running along the
length of the stem. Infected areas on the stem do not appear as
markedly water-soaked as the leaves can. In extreme cases, infection
of the stem will kill the leaves just above the point of infection.
On tubers- Once blight is present on the plant, it can infect the
tubers if rain leaches its spores into the soil. Symptoms on tubers will
appear as purplish-brown sunken areas of irregular size and shape.
These are often located in and around the eyes. A dry reddish brown
rot spreads under the skin causing infected potatoes to eventually
rot in storage.

Disease Cycle- The fungus over-summers as mycelium in the infected

seed potato kept in cold stores.
These tubers when planted in the next crop season (main crop and
subsequent ones) serve as the source of primary inoculum.
When the plants emerge from such tubers, the fungus invades a few
of the growing sprouts and sporulates (produce sporangia) under
humid conditions. Further spread of the disease takes place by these
sporangia through air or rain splashes.
Initiation of the disease generally takes about 3-7 days before clearly
visible symptoms develop. The fungus produces white sporulation on
the underside of the leaves which is clearly visible in the early
morning hours.
These sporangia further infect new leaves and stems of the nearby
plants and this cycle continues after every 4-10 days depending upon
the prevailing temperature and humidity levels.
If the temperature is lower than 100 C, disease development slows
down and takes more time up to 12 days while at temperature of 16-
180 C, it takes only 4-5 days to complete one cycle.
Sporangia washed by rain or carried by irrigation water cause
infection on tubers in the soil.
Partially exposed tubers can easily become infected.
These infected tubers serve as the primary source of inoculum for
the next years crop.
Control Measures- Effective control of this disease requires
implementation of an integrated disease management approach.
Late blight is a community disease, and effective management
requires community management. Here are methods to help control
the disease:
Destroy all cull and volunteer potatoes.
Plant late blight-free seed tubers.
Do not mix seed lots because cutting can transmit late blight.Use a
seed piece fungicide treatment labeled for control of late blight.
Recommended seed treatments include Revus, Reason and
mancozeb.Avoid planting problem areas that may remain wet for
extended periods or may be difficult to spray .
Avoid excessive and/or night-time irrigation.
Eliminatel sources of inoculum such as hairy nightshade weed
species and volunteer potatoes.
Scout fields regularly, especially in low, wet areas, along tree lines, at
the center of the pivot and other areas that remain wet for longer
periods where late blight first may occur.
Use foliar fungicides on a regular and continuing schedule. Once late
blight is present, only foliar fungicide applications can manage late
blight in the field.
Quickly destroy hot spots of late blight.
Kill vines completely two to three weeks before harvest. Consider
adding a fungicide when vine killing if there is late blight pressure.

3. Powdery Mildews of Pea- The powdery mildew of

peas is worldwide in occurrence causing serious losses to the crop.
The disease is considered to be much more serious than the downy
mildew of peas. Physiologic races of the fungus attack beans, urd,
lucerne, coriander, turnip, cabbage and many other plants. In India,
the disease generally appears during November-December.
Host- Pisum sativum
Pathogen- Erysiphe pisi
Symptoms- Symptoms of powdery mildew begin with white powdery
spots that occur first on the upper surface of the oldest leaves and
stipules and then on stems and pods.
Warm dry weather accompanied by cool nights with dews is
conducive to the spread of this disease. Many varieties are resistant
to this disease.
Producers should select and grow resistant varieties if possible to
avoid any chance of this disease. However, this is not always an
option for producers.
It attacks leaves first producing faint, slightly discolored specks from
which grayish white powdery growth of mycelium develop.
The leaves turn yellow and die.
The fruits do not either set or remain very small.
It causes defoliation.
Later stages, powdery growth also covers the pods.
Powdery mildew spores are carried by air and once active, will
continue to spread in dry conditions.
Disease cycle- The disease powdery mildew, caused by the
pathogen Erysiphe pisi, over summers on infected pea trash and
produces spores which are blown by wind into new crops. The
disease may also be seed-borne, but this source of infection is less
important.
Under favourable conditions, the disease may completely colonise a
plant in 5 to 6 days. Once a few plants become infected, the disease
rapidly spreads to adjacent areas. Warm (15-25°C), humid (over 70
per cent RH) conditions for 4 to 5 days late in the growing season,
during flowering and pod filling, favour disease development.
However, heavy rainfall is not favourable for the disease as it will
actually wash spores off plants. Night time dews are sufficient for the
disease to develop.
Control Measures-
Varietal Selection - Growing a resistant variety is the most effective
means of controlling powdery mildew. Resistant varieties are
immune to this disease and do not develop disease throughout the
growing season.
Crop Rotation-Leave a four-year break between growing field pea
crops in the same paddock. Control volunteer field peas which can
harbour disease. Avoid sowing field pea crops adjacent to last
season’s stubble. Incorporate or burn infected pea stubble soon after
harvest where practicable.
Foliar Fungicides- Powdery mildew can be effectively controlled by
fungicides sprays. Monitor crops from flowering onwards for signs of
powdery mildew. If the disease is present the application of a foliar
fungicide may be warranted. Fungicides need to be applied very
early in disease development to be most effective. Fungicides for
powdery mildew have limited systemic activity and will not protect
the new growth following spraying. Good plant coverage with the
fungicides is essential. Depending on disease pressure, foliage is
protected for about 14 days.

4. Black Rust of Wheat- The disease occurs in all wheat

growing countries of the world. In India it appears at different times
of the year in different parts of the country. It appears in the month
of March in Northern India. In Southern and Peninsular India it
appears very early in the 4th week of November.
Host- Tritlcum vulgare
Pathogen- Puccinia graminis tritici.
Symptoms- Do not produce symptoms until 7-15 days from infection.
The oval pustules (uredinia) of powdery, brick-red urediniospores
break through the epidermis.
Microscopically, these red spores are covered with fine spines.
The pustules become abundant and are produced on both leaf
surfaces and stems of wheat hosts.
Later in the season, pustules (telia) of black teliospores begin to
appear in infected grass
Species.
Microscopically, teliospores are two celled and thick walled.
The stem become dry and cracked and most severely attacked.
The plant produces less or no grains.
A number of physiological changes occur by rust infection.
Five to 10 days later, cup-shaped structures filled with orange-
yellow, powdery aeciospores break through the lower leaf surface.
The aecial cups are yellow and sometimes elongate to extend up to 5
mm from the leaf surface microscopically, aeciospores have a slightly
warty surface.
Disease Cycle- Urediniospores and teliospores occur on Wheat.
Fungus gains entrance to host through stomata.
Early spring, aeciospore infects Wheat to start infection.
Spore stage gives plant its characteristic rusty colour.
Uredio spore stage is “repeater stage”. Continually re infects wheat
into late summer.
Late summer, uredium converts to telium and produce telio spores.
Telio spore are thick-walled, with two cells and black.
Teliospore over winters.
Following spring, germinates to produce basidia and basidiospores.
Basidiospores Convert into sporangium.
Then sporangium converts into aeciospores and the cycle continues.

Control Measures- Adjustment of sowing dates.

Growing short and long duration crops.
Applications of balanced fertilizers to the crop.
Eradication of barberry trees around the wheat field.
Cultivation of Rust Resistant Varieties: NP 718, NP 710 and NP 770.
Lerma Rojo, Safed Lerma, Choti Lerma and Sonalika are highly
resistant to all three rusts in the field.
Use of Fungicides Including Antibiotics:
• Practically no variety is resistant for a long period due to
emergence of new physiological races.
• Zineb and Maneb control wheat rusts effectively. {Grewal and
Dharam Vir (1959), Mathur Et. Al (1961) and Tandon et al (1968)}
Chemicals like RH-124 and Plantavax have as well given quite
encouraging results.
Application of para toluene sulfonyl amide to the soil at the rate of
one gram per square meter is effective.
Actidione has been recommended to be a useful antibiotic as a
fungicide for the control of rusts plus zinc sulphate at fifteen days
interval from the first week of February are quite effective.

5. Early Blight of Potato- Early blight is a common

foliage disease of potato and tomato. It is of common occurrence
both in cold as well as in warm regions in India and abroad where,
potatoes and tomatoes are grown.
According to Mathur, Singh and Nagarkote (1971), there have been
outbreaks of early blight of potato during the past-5 or 6 years in the
plains of Uttar Pradesh. The pathogen causes injury to the leaves as a
leaf spot disease and instigates permature defoliation. Finally it
incites tuber rot of potato and fruit rot of tomato.
Pathogen- Alternaria solani
Host- Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), Potato (Solanum
tuberosum)
Symptoms – This is a common disease of potato occurring on the
foliage at any stage of the growth and causes characteristic leaf spots
and blight.
Normally the disease symptoms become apparent during tuber
bulking stage and develop leading to the harvest.
The early blight is first observed on the plants as small, black lesions
mostly on the older foliage.
Spots enlarge, and by the time they are one-fourth inch in diameter
or larger, concentric rings in a bull’s eye pattern can be seen in the
centre of the diseased area.
Tissue surrounding the spots may turn yellow. If high temperature
and humidity occur at this time, much of the foliage is killed.
Lesions on the stems are similar to those on leaves, sometimes
girdling the plant if they occur near the soil line.
Disease cycle- The source of primary inoculum for the primary
infection in an early crop is either the conidia which remain viable for
as long as seventeen month or new conidia developed from
mycelium that has persisted in the soil or in the infected leaves of
the previous year’s crop. Infected potato tubers also should not be
over looked as a source of inoculum.
Conidia germinate at an optimum temperature on 28°C. To 30°C.
Host penetration of the fungus as a rule is through the stomata (Fig.
381D), but direct penetration through the epidermis is not
infrequent. Under conditions of favourable temperature and
moisture, the period of incubation is relative short, spots become
visible within forty-eight to seventy-two hours after inoculation.
But conidia are produced within the next three or four days. Conidia
produced during primary infection form secondary inoculum for
secondary infection, and are readily detached and carried to later
maturing plants by air currents. Often insects facilitate infection by
producing wounds and at the same time they may also carry conidia
or their bodies.
The foliage is usually most susceptible after the plants have passed
their period of greatest vigour and are being weakened by external
conditions or by tuber formation.
Control Measures- Infected plant debris of the previous year should
be thoroughly cleaned and burnt to cut down the source of primary
inoculum. Disinfection of seed is essential. It is accomplished by
treatment of seeds with new improved Ceresan, applied either in 1;
2000 concentration or as a dust at the rate of 0.5 per cent, of the
weight of the seed.
The use of Bordeaux mixture to some extent reduces the disease
incidence. But greater success is attained with fungicides like, zinc
carbamites and calcium arsenate (one pound in fifty gallons of
water).
Crop rotation is an important control measure. But because of the
wind-borne conidia the incidence of the disease may be delayed than
completely controlled by crop rotation.

6. Red Rot of Sugarcane- This is one of the most severe

of the known diseases of sugarcane. It was first described from Java
by Went in 1893. It is widely distributed throughout the sugarcane-
growing countries of the world, and in fact it is extremely doubtful if
there are any sugarcane-growing areas where it does not exist,
although it may be much more destructive in some places than
others.
The disease was very widespread and virulent in North Behar and
Eastern part of the United Provinces during 1939 and 1942. It was so
destructive that it almost whipped out the sugarcane plantations in
those areas.
Host- Sugarcane
Pathogen- Colletotrichum falcatum, Glomerella tucumanensis(P.S)
Symptoms- Appear after rainy season when plant growth stop &
sugar formation start
The earliest symptoms are the yellowing and drooping of the upper
leaves (near the tip).
Later the infected stems shrivel.
The rind looses the bright colour and become wrinkled
Cane becomes light weight and can be easily broken.
Longitudinal reddening of the normally white internal tissue with
intermingled transverse white spots of the internodes.
A discoloration, that may extend through many joints of the stalk.
Disease blood red lesions with dark margins develop on the
leaves(acervuli).
In late season, dark dot like structure, velvety in texture appear in
the shriveled areas near the nodes and on the internodes.

Disease cycle- The inoculum lives from one growing season to the
next on the debris of the diseased plants.

The conidia are short-lived and thus play no role in the

perennation of the pathogen,

The thick-walled chlamydospores and perithecia are considered

as probable means of survival
Acervuli survives in the active stage for 3 or 4 months in the
soil.

The survival of the mycelium for this limited period is sufficient

to provide easy catching of the succeeding crop because
sugarcane practically has no dead season.

The disease is borne in the seed sets which serve as chief means
of survival and spread of the disease.

The diseased sets sown in the soil, sprout into infected shoots
which soon produce conidia in the acervuli.

The conidia serve as a secondary means of infection and spread

of the disease.

They get detached and are dispersed through the agency of

wind, water and insects.

On reaching the surface of the healthy sugarcane plants, they

germinate immediately in the

Moisture retained in the enclosing sheaths.

Control Measures- Field sanitation is an important measure to
prevent the build source of primary inoculum.

It consists in the collection and burning of sugarcane trash in

the field.

Plantation of resistant cultivars, like, Co. 846, Co. 951, Co. 1148,
Co. 561, B.O.3, B.0. 7 and B.O. 32 is most effective method.

The use of sound and healthy seed sets.

Long rotation of crops minimizes soil borne infection, Crop

rotation 2-3 yrs

Setts treatment – Carbendazim @ 2.5 gm/lit. Of water for 30

minutes

Hot water treatment -52° C for 8 hrs., 54° C for 2 hrs.

Hot air treatment – 54° C for 6 hrs

Removal of infected stool.

Plant the crop when conditions are optimal for rapid

germination and maintain proper soil moisture.

Harvest susceptible cultivars before they have passed the peak

of maturity.

Practice crop rotation, with an alternate crop at the end of the

planting and rotooning cycle.