Diseases of Teak, Neem and Jatropha
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FFB 203 FOREST PATHOLOGY (1+1) DISEASES OF TEAK, NEEM AND JATROPHA TEAK (Tectona grandis) Powdery mildew: : Uncinula tectonae Symptoms: The powdery mildew disease develops as a minute white patch on the upper surface or lower surface, which later extends to cover the entire leaf lamina. As the disease progresses the powdery growth turns to light brown patches leading to defoliation. The infection may also occur on the flower stalk and flowers resulting in the shedding of flowers and young fruits. The white powdery growth of the pathogen represents the mass of conidiophore and conidia. In the advanced stage of the disease the fungi produce the sexual fruiting body called Cleitothecia. Pathogen: The fungus produces septate mycelium and mostly external and produce haustoria to the host epidermis. The conidiophres are short and club shaped non septate and produce barrel shaped conidia in chains. Rust : Olivea tectonae (Uredo tectonae) Symptoms: The upper surface of the leaf show dull green flecks corresponding to the orange yellow uredinia on lower surface. The flecks on the upper surface become necrotic and appear as brown spots. Severe infection caused premature defoliation in nurseries and young plantations. Pathogen: Olivea tectonae is a microcyclic rust having telial and uredinial stage on teak. Uredinospores are single celled, spherical and deep yellowish orange in colour. The telia characteristically develop on thick cellular base and produce two celled brown coloured teliospores. Leaf spot/blight : Phomopsis tectonae Symptoms: Spots appear as minute dark brown dots, 2-3mm in diameter. Spots enlarge to 5 to 8 mm in diameter and turn to light pale brown with dark brown outline. The margin grow out wards forming one to three dark brown concentric rings around the light coloured centre spot. Pathogen: The pathogen produces light brown coloured mycelium and round globose pycnidia on the leaf surface containing single celled dull brown conidia. Leaf blight : Alternaria alternata Symptoms: A brown water soaked lesion develop on the leaf and spreads fast to occupy major portion of the leaf leading to complete drying of the lamina. The disease can easily 1 identified by presence of concentric rings in the blighted area showing the sporulation of the fungus. The fungus produces brown coloured conidia with both vertical and horizontal septa with a beak at the top. Pathogen: The mycelium of the fungus is dull brown and septate and produce large number of pale grey-yellow conidiophores which are straight or curved. The conidia are light olive coloured with transverse and longitudinal septa with a beak at the top. There are 3-5 septate and are borne over short conidiophore. Butt rot/ Root rot : Polyporus zonalis Symptoms: The fungus attacks heart wood, sometimes soft wood. Initially the fungus causes white mottled rot with orange yellow lines, later pockets develop in the bleached area. Pathogen: The fungus produces sessile, hard and rigid basidiocarp at the base of the tree. The upper surface is concentrically zonate with reddish brown colour. The lower surface is shiny white in colour. Ganoderma Root disease : Ganoderma lucidum Symptoms: The disease can be visualized as yellowing and dropping of leaves in one or two branches of the tress, subsequently followed by drying of the branches. As the disease progresses, the defoliation and drying symptoms are seen on the other branches. The fungus grows extensively from the bark and causes white rot of the sap wood which become spongy. The dried trees show characteristic fruiting bodies of the fungus which arise from the base of the trees at the soil level. Pathogen: It produces a thick and woody basidiocarp named as Bracket (Sexual fruiting body). The fungus survive in the soil and release hundreds of basidiospores (Sexual spores) which initiate fresh infection during the moist rainy weather. JATROPHA (Jatropha curcus) Damping off : Fusarium solani Symptoms: The disease starts as a water soaked black lesion at the collar region of the young seedling, which later rot and topple over the soil. Light pink coloured mycelial masses can be seen on the soil surface. 2 Pathogen: The fungus survives in the soil as Chlamydospores and cause primary infection. In addition, the fungus produces large number of macroconidia and macroconidia. The macroconidia are sickle shaped , hyaline, multicelled having 5- 6 septa. The micro conidia are also hyaline and single celled, oval in shape. The conidia help in the secondary spread of the disease. Root rot : Macrophomina phaseolina Symptoms: The disease starts as a water soaked black lesion at the collar region of the plant near soil level and progresses both upward and downward. The lower leaves turn yellow and wither away. This is followed by sudden dead of the whole plant. The dried plant show extensive rooting of the root system with disintegrated barks. The close observation of the shredded bark tissues show large number of black colored resting structures of the fungus. The stem portion above soil level become ashy brown indicating the presence of thousands of minute black dot like fungal fructification. Pathogen: The fungus survives in the soil as Sclerotia (asexual resting structures) and cause primary infection. In addition, the fungus produces large number of asexual fruiting bodies (Pycnidia) on the stem portion. The conidia released from these fruiting bodies help in the secondary spread Powdery Mildew : Oidium sp. Symptoms: The powdery mildew disease develops as a minute white patch on the upper surface or lower surface, which later extends to cover the entire leaf lamina. As the disease progresses the powdery growth turns to light brown patches leading to defoliation. The infection may also occur on the flower stalk and flowers resulting in the shedding of flowers and young fruits. The white powdery growth of the pathogen represents the mass of conidiophore and conidia. In the advanced stage of the disease the fungi produce the sexual fruiting body called Cleitothecia. Pathogen: The fungus produces septate mycelium and mostly external and produce haustoria to the host epidermis. The conidiophres are short and club shaped non septate and produce barrel shaped conidia in chains. Leaf blight : Alternaria alternata Symptoms: A brown water soaked lesion develop on the leaf and spreads fast to occupy major portion of the leaf leading to complete drying of the lamina. The disease can easily identified by presence of concentric rings in the blighted area showing the sporulation of the fungus. Pathogen: The mycelium of the fungus is dull brown and septate and produce large number of conidia with transverse and longitudinal septa. The conidia are 3-8 septate. 3 Leaf blight : Phoma sp. Symptoms: The symptoms appear as minute dark brown dots, 2-3mm in diameter. Spots enlarge to 5 to 8 mm in diameter and turn to light pale brown with dark brown outline. The margin grow out wards forming one to three dark brown concentric rings around the light coloured centre spot with a lot of black pycnidia. Pathogen: The pathogen produces pycnidia on the leaf surface containing hundreds of single celled dull brown conidia. Leaf spot : Cercopsora jatropha- curcus Symptoms: Small circular spot with dark brown margin appear on the leaf surface and shot hole symptoms develop when the centre of the spot become papery and drops off. Pathogen: The pathogen produces hyaline, thin, long multiseptate conidia in cluster. The conidia are needle shaped with a slight curling at the centre and are 7-10 septate. Anthracnose : Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Symptoms: The disease initiates as a minute black spot on the leaf surface and enlarges to form a spot with a black margin showing a large number of Acervuli in the centre. The black lesions also appear on the young shoots showing die back symptoms. The infection on the flower stalk lead to flower shedding. Black coloured spots also appear on the surface of the fruit showing fruit rot symptoms. Pathogen: The pathogen produces a large number of minute, black coloured Acervuli in large number in the infected portions. The conidia are sick shaped, single celled and hyaline and show large number of oil globules in the centre of the conidia. Mosaic : Virus Symptoms: The disease appears as light discoloration along the veins of the youngest leaves. Soon the leaves develop a characteristic light and dark green pattern, the dark green areas are usually associated with the veins. The dark green areas later develop into irregular crumpled swellings or blisters due to more rapid growth. The plants that become infected early in the season are usually very much stunted with small, chlorotic, mottled and curled leaves. In severe infections, the leaves are narrowed, puckered, thin and malformed beyond recognition, Later, dark brown necrotic spots develop under hot weather and this symptom is called “Mosaic burn” or “Mosaic scorching”. Pathogen: The nature of the virus and mode of spread is yet to be studied. 4 NEEM (Azadirachta indica) Nursery Root rot/ Web blight : Rhizoctonia solani Symptoms: The pathogen is soil- borne and infect leaves of young seedlings. Greyish brown lesions develop on the leaf blade, advances and cover the entire leaf area. The fungal mycelia fully over the rotten tissues giving a spider web appearance and hence, the name web blight. The completely rotten tissues contain a large number of irregularly shaped sclerotia, the asexual resting structure which act as a source for the next crop. Pathogen: The fungus produces dark brown, septate mycelium with the constrictions at hyphal branches. The sclerotia are minute, dark coloured. Fungus also produces dark brown, globose pycnidia on the host tissues. The pycnidiospores (conidia) are thin walled, hyaline, single celled, elliptical in shape. Leaf spot : Cercospora meliae Symptoms: The infection starts as watersoaked lesions, which later turns to minute grey spot with dark margins. As the disease progresses, the spots become thin and papery and drops off leaving shot hole symptoms.