Management of downy mildew in sunflower

Management of downy mildew in sunflower
Sunflower crop is among the top five commercial oilseed crops grown all over India.
Its cultivation is mainly hindered by diseases and pests. Among the diseases downy mildew is a serious obstacle in sunflower cultivation due to its systemic nature of infection.
Typical symptoms occur in seedling stage. Infested seedlings die, but those that survive produce stunted plants with erect, platform heads with no flowers. Drought stress
If any flowers are produced they remain sterile and bear no seeds. The infested plants serve to perpetuate the fungus in the soil and are more prone to drought stress and lodging.
The disease is initiated by soil borne dormant structures called oospores or infected seeds.
Oospores germinate during spring in wet soils. They can survive in the soil for five to 10 years.
Cool, water-saturated soil during this period greatly favours the infection spread.
Plants become increasingly resistant to infection with age, so systemic infections occurs over a short period (two to three weeks) after germination.
Irrigation water running through an infested field also may carry mildew spores into a previously disease-free field. Management
— Plant high quality certified seeds free from downy mildew pathogen.
— Practise a five-year or longer crop rotation between sunflower crops with non-hosts such as corn and small grains.
— Eliminate weeds that can serve as alternate hosts of downy mildew.
— Avoid reuse of irrigation water from sunflower fields and provide adequate but not excessive irrigation, especially early in the season.
— Seed treatment with metalaxyl 6gm/kg seed will reduce the infection during the seedling stage. Spraying of rydomil MZ 3gm/lit or metalaxyl 3gm/lit water helps in controlling foliar infection.
— Using resistant varieties. is a good practice.
Mallikarjun Y, Kenganal, Hemavati, Ranebennur & Byadgi, A. S.
Department of Plant Pathology
University of Agricultural Sciences,
Dharwad, Karnataka

Mealy bug — a new threat to cotton cultivation

Mealy bug — a new threat to cotton cultivation
Cotton crops in Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are being seriously infested with mealy bugs during the last 2-3 cropping seasons.
In Tamil Nadu the pest has been observed in Salem, Coimbatore, Perambalur, Erode, and Virudhunagar districts.
Mealy bugs are small, soft bodied sucking insects which suck the sap from the stem, twigs, leaves, flower buds and young bolls. Sooty mould
A sugary liquid secreted by these insects falls on the leaves and serves as a medium for the growth of sooty mould, a fungus that reduces photosynthetic ability of the plant.
Adult female lays 400-600 eggs in a thin bag called ovisac and within 3-9 days young mealy bugs called crawlers emerge from the ovisac.
The crawlers actively spread through various means and settle down in 25-30 days.
The pest causes premature leaf drop, dieback and death of plants if unchecked.
Serious attack of the pest results in bunchy growth, plants remain stunted and produce fewer bolls. Heavy clustering of mealy bugs can be seen on lower surface of leaves giving the appearance of a thick mat with waxy secretion.
The honeydew excreted by the mealy bugs attracts ants which help in spreading of the pest and provide protection from predators and parasites.Management
—Field borders should be free from weeds.
—Crop residues with infestation should be removed and burnt.
—Plough the infested fields to expose the immature stages in the soil to the biotic and abiotic factors.
—Discourage growing alternate host plants such as hibiscus, okra, custard apple, guava in nearby cotton fields.
— Encourage cowpea as border crop on bunds and irrigation channels to enhance the multiplication of predatory insects.
— Ant fences should be treated with chlorpyriphos 20 EC at 2.5 ml/lit through drenching (or) by application of malathion dust 5 per cent at 25 Kg/ha .
B. Dhara Jothi &
N. Gopalakrishnan
Central Institute for Cotton Research
Regional Station
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu Mealy bug — a new threat to cotton cultivation
Cotton crops in Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are being seriously infested with mealy bugs during the last 2-3 cropping seasons.
In Tamil Nadu the pest has been observed in Salem, Coimbatore, Perambalur, Erode, and Virudhunagar districts.
Mealy bugs are small, soft bodied sucking insects which suck the sap from the stem, twigs, leaves, flower buds and young bolls. Sooty mould
A sugary liquid secreted by these insects falls on the leaves and serves as a medium for the growth of sooty mould, a fungus that reduces photosynthetic ability of the plant.
Adult female lays 400-600 eggs in a thin bag called ovisac and within 3-9 days young mealy bugs called crawlers emerge from the ovisac.
The crawlers actively spread through various means and settle down in 25-30 days.
The pest causes premature leaf drop, dieback and death of plants if unchecked.
Serious attack of the pest results in bunchy growth, plants remain stunted and produce fewer bolls. Heavy clustering of mealy bugs can be seen on lower surface of leaves giving the appearance of a thick mat with waxy secretion.
The honeydew excreted by the mealy bugs attracts ants which help in spreading of the pest and provide protection from predators and parasites.Management
—Field borders should be free from weeds.
—Crop residues with infestation should be removed and burnt.
—Plough the infested fields to expose the immature stages in the soil to the biotic and abiotic factors.
—Discourage growing alternate host plants such as hibiscus, okra, custard apple, guava in nearby cotton fields.
— Encourage cowpea as border crop on bunds and irrigation channels to enhance the multiplication of predatory insects.
— Ant fences should be treated with chlorpyriphos 20 EC at 2.5 ml/lit through drenching (or) by application of malathion dust 5 per cent at 25 Kg/ha .
B. Dhara Jothi &
N. Gopalakrishnan
Central Institute for Cotton Research
Regional Station
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu