Drumstick Diseases

Damping off

Disease symptoms:

Disease of nursery beds and young seedlings resulting in reduced seed germination and poor stand of seedlings. Very high seedling mortality of 25-75%.

• Pre-emergence damping off: Seedlings disintegrate before they come out of soil surface leading to poor seed germination
• Post-emergence damping off is characterised by development of disease after seedlings have emerged out of soil but before the stems are lignified
• Water soaked lesion formation at collar region
• Infected areas turn brown and rot
• Plants shrivel and collapse as a result of softening of tissues
• In Rhizoctonia solani attack infected stems become hard, thin (wire stem symptoms) and infected seedlings topple Disease appear in patches both in nursery and field beds.

• Primary: Oospores in soil in case of Pythium Sclerotia in soil in case of Rhizoctonia
• Secondary: Zoospores through irrigation water in case of Pythium Mycelial growth in soil and sclerotia through irrigation water in case of Rhizoctonia

For Pythium

• Heavy rainfall
• Excessive and frequent irrigation
• Poorly drained soil and close spacing
• High soil moisture with temp around 25-30°C

For Rhizoctonia

• High soil moisture with temp around 30–35°C

Twig canker

• The first symptom of the disease is clearing of the veinlets and chlorosis of the leaves.
• The younger leaves may die in succession and the entire may wilt and die in a course of few days.
• Soon the petiole and the leaves droop and wilt.
• In young plants, symptom consists of clearing of veinlet and dropping of petioles.
• The symptoms continue in subsequent leaves.
• At later stage, browning of vascular system occurs.
• Plants become stunted and die.

• Soil and implements

• Relatively high soil moisture and soil temperature

IPM for Drumstick

To know the IPM practices for Drumstick, click here.

Source : NIPHM, Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage