Ali Raza

Wilt of sugar cane:- Casual organisms:-  Fusarium moniliforme and Sephalosporium sacchari Symptoms:- Typical wilt symptoms appear during monsoon and post monsoon periods. Affected plant appears wilted and conspicuously stunted. The crown leaves turn yellow, loose turgor and eventually withers. Wilt-affected canes loose their normal colour and are light in weight. The most characteristic symptom during the early stage of infection is the presence of diffused reddish brown patches on the internal tissue. Later canes become light, hallow and shrink. Disease reduces germination and in severe cases total cane yield losses occur due to drying up of shoots and wilting of the stalks. Disease cycle:- Disease spreads through infected setts. The fungi gain entry mainly through injuries. Biotic stresses like nematode, root borer, termite, scales, mealy bugs etc and abiotic stresses like drought, water logging etc predispose the plants for wilt infection. Moisture stress coupled with high temperature and low humidity reduces plant resistance to wilt. Management:- Plant resistant varieties Collect healthy seed material Treat the setts with a good fungicide by dipping them for 15-20 minutes in the solution. For controlling secondary spread of the disease: Rogue out the diseased stools and burn them. Don't burry them. Soak the spot of the rogued plants with fungicide. Spray the crop immediately after seeing the disease symptoms. Burn the trash of the diseased crop immediately after harvest. Rotating sugarcane with other crop would be good to further devastate the disease spread. Do not keep the ratoon of the diseased crop.