ISHS Acta Horticulturae 735: I International Guava Symposium
PRESENT STATUS OF IMPORTANT DISEASES OF GUAVA IN INDIA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO WILT |
| Author: | A.K. Misra |
| Keywords: | guava, disease, wilt, management |
| Abstract:
Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is an important fruit crop of India and is considered poor men’s apple. Its production is low in India because of several important diseases by which it suffers. There are a number of pre- and post- harvest diseases of guava. Pre harvest diseases like canker, die back, decline etc. affect the plant growth and production, while post harvest diseases such as Phytophthora, Macrophomina and several others spoil the fruits in field, storage and in transit. Due to the perishable nature of the fruit, several post-harvest diseases are also very important and cause considerable loss to the crop. Wilt is the most important disease of guava. It is a serious problem causing heavy loss in guava production in India. It is a soil borne disease and caused by several pathogens. Gliocladium roseum is recently identified as a most potent pathogen besides Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. psidii and F. solani. Technique has been developed for its successful artificial reproduction in the field. Chemicals and chemical fungicides loose their effectiveness due to disintegration after certain period of time and make the pathogen more vigorous to attack and cause wilting. Hence, the application of fungicide should be discouraged. A technology has been developed to integrate the different control measures. These includes bio-inoculants, viz. Aspergillus niger strain AN 17, Trichoderma harzianum and Penicillium citrinum, intercropping with Curcuma domestica or Tagetes erecta, separate basin irrigation, and avoidance of tillage during July to November and use of resistant root stock. If, these management practices are integrated, the guava wilt could be managed successfully. Techniques have been developed to multiply the bio-agent on cheap and easily available field wastes. Its application time is also standardized. Cultural practices and operation times have also been worked out. Besides wilt there are several other diseases of guava of which post-harvest diseases (different fruit rots) are very common. The climatic condition in India also favours fruit rot due to higher temperature and humidity. Present paper deals with the diseases of guava which commonly occur in India along with their management practices. | |
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