Pearl Millet/ Bajra / Sajje/Bajri/ Pennisetum glaucum

DOWNEY MILDEW/GREEN EAR DISEASE

The estimated annual grain yield loss= 20-40%, much higher under favourable conditions
epidemic form in Karnataka and Maharashtra during 1975 almost 100% loss of the crop.

Causal organism- Sclerospora graminicola, FAMILY - Pernosporaceae

 Obligate parasite, draws nutrition from the host cell through a specialized structure
called haustoria and haustorial mother cell.
 It produces both asexual (sporangia, zoospores) and sexual spores (oospores).

SYMPTOMS
 Seedlings within the infested soil express the symptoms within 5-6 days of
emergence.
 Symptoms are systemic and may appear from seedling up to flowering stage.
 It is most susceptible at coleoptile stage and the susceptibility decreases as the crop
gets older.
 Typically, sporulation on the abaxial leaf surface, stunted growth, and malformation
of the ear heads.
 Initially the downy mildew symptoms appear on the second leaf and later on all
subsequent leaves and panicles.
 Leaf initially appear as chlorosis (yellowing) at the base of the leaf lamina, and
successively younger leaves show a progression of chlorosis.
 During sporulation, massive asexual spores occur on infected chlorotic areas, generally
on the abaxial surface of leaves, giving them a downy appearance .
 Severely infected plants are generally stunted, and do not produce panicles.
 virescence -Green ear symptoms become visible at panicle emergence where the
floral parts are transformed into leafy structures of varying shape and size, partially
or totally.These leafy structures can also be chlorotic, and sometimes support
sporulation.
 ERGOT DISEASE
- Losses in grain yield due to this disease have been estimated to be as high as
58-70% in F1 hybrids.
- Causal organism- Claviceps fusiformis Family-Clavicipitaceae
-The disease assumes special importance because grain is easily contaminated by grain-replacing sclerotia
which contain alkaloids that affect the health of human beings and animals.

SYMPTOMS

 The disease occurs only at the time of flowering.

 identified when cream to pink mucilaginous droplets called 'honeydew' ooze out of
the infected florets on pearl millet panicles, containing numerous asexual spores called
conidia.
 Within 10-15 days these droplets dry out and hard to form sclerotia- dark brown to
black structures, hard and woody, larger than seed, and with a pointed apex develop,
which protrude from the florets in place of grain. - These sclerotia replace the ovary or
grain
DISEASE CYCLE
-The primary disease cycle begins with the sclerotia present in the field during harvest or
mixed with seed at the time of threshing and sown along with the seed the next season.