Incidence, Epidemiology and Management of Cephaleuros virescens Causing Red Rust of Litchi under Sub Tropical Zone of Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out during year 2020–2021 at the laboratory of Department of Plant Pathology, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Neri (Hamirpur) Himachal Pradesh, India to study the disease incidence, severity and management of red rust of litchi incited by Cephaleuros virescens under in vitro conditions. The survey was conducted in major litchi growing areas which revealed that the disease was prevalent in mild to severe form at various locations in five districts (Hamirpur, Una, Kangra, Chamba and Mandi) surveyed in Himachal Pradesh. Disease incidence was found to be ranging from 0 to 35.47% with maximum at Nagrota Bagwan in Kangra district and disease severity ranged from 0 to 47.79%. Epidemiological studies reveal that C. virescens can be incubated at all the temperatures tested (20, 25, 28, 30, 32 and 35°C) and at all the tested RH levels (80.5, 85.7, 89.9, 95.6 and 100%). However, temperature 32°C and RH 100% was found to be optimum for symptom development of disease under artificial inoculation conditions.. Among the fungicides tested (copper oxychloride, captan, mancozeb, potassium phosphite, potassium phosphate, Cabrio top^®, azoxystrobin, carbendazim, hexaconazole and propiconazole) at different concentrations, all treatments were significantly superior over control in managing C. virescens. However, captan, mancozeb, Cabriotop, hexaconazole and propiconazole resulted in cent per cent inhibition of C. virescens.