Diseases of Guava,Tea & Coffee &
their Management
DISEASES OF FIELD & HORTICULTURAL CROPS II
Dr. H. C. Lal,
Asstt. Professor (Plant Pathology)
Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi.
Diseases to be encountered:
Guava
• Anthracnose and fruit rot- Colletotrichum psidii
• Grey blight, leaf spot & scab – Pestalotia psidii
• Guava wilt – Fusarium oxysporm f.sp. Psidii
• Zinc deficiency
Tea - Blister Blight – Exobasidium vexans
Coffee- Rust – Hemileia vastatrix
Guava wilt- Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. psidii
First reported in U.P in 1935 .5-10 % mortality per year is reported.
• Symptoms: appears during rainy season (July-Aug).The affected plants are
lustreless with brown leaves.These leaves remain attached to the plants fo some
time. The bark of some trunk is discoloured. Sometimes symptoms appear on one
side of thegrown up treeor on some branches while other sides/ branches remain
healthy. Branches and young twigs start drying one after another.In few weeks ,
entire tree is dead.In the root of the tree,xylem is blackened and fungal mycelium
can be seen in the vessels in cross section of the root.
• C/o - Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Psidii in UP
• Fusarium solani in West Bengal under moisture condition
• Macrophomina phaseolina in dry soils.
Disease cycle: Pathogen survives in the roots of dead trees and through
chlamydospores formed by saprophytic growth on roots. Infection takes place
through root hairs, wound or natural opening. Symptoms appear in rainy season
but infection takes place much earlier.Fungus mycelium ramifies in xylem vessel.
When these vessels are blocked by fungus structure and the break down products
of the host tissues,the passage of nutrients abd water is checked. Leaves of
affected tissues are deficient in N2 and Zn . Disease is more common in alkaline soil
with moderate soil moisture.
Management:
1.Prunning to remove branches 30-40 cm from discoloured conducting vassels in
march.
2. Drenching of soil around the prunned tree with 10-15 litres of 0.25 carbendazim per
tree in march.,June & September.
3. Spray of 0.05% Metacystox and 0.3% ZnSO4 twice in March and September.
4.Application of lime or Gypsum to soil @1.0kg /tree after exposing roots to 15 cm
depth.
5. banarasi, dholak sind, Nasik, White guava No.6299, Lucknow -49 and Supreme are
resistant.
Anthracnose & Die back
Pathogen- Colletotrichum psidii (P.s.- Glomerella cinguilata )
• Acervuli and setae are common on twigs but not on fruits
Symptoms: Anthracnose of fruits appear as rough blisters which coalesce to
form large necrotic areas of 5-6mm diameter. With increase in size these
blisters cover a major portion of fruit.The infected immature and ripe fruits
turn brown, shrink and get mummified.These mummies hanging on the
trees anf fallen on the ground are the most conspicuous symptoms of
presence of anthracnose in orchard. In the post harvest decay phase, the
blisters may be up to 10.20mm in diameter. It also affects buds ,flowers
and immature fruits gets infection from flowers. 300c temp.,95% R.H is
best for spread of disease.
Potassium deficiency promotes anthracnose.
Anthracnose symptoms
Anthracnose and die-back : contd
Disease cycle: Diseased leaves,twiga and dried fruits on the tree and orchard floor
are prolific source of perennation of fungus and fresh infection. Fungus has long
saprophytic surviving ability on dead twigs.
conidial formation in acervuli is favoured by 10-300C temp and 95-97% R.H. Fungus
doesnot grow at R.H.below 95%.
• Humid and moisty condition,24-320C temp.at development of shoot ,flowers
and fruit are considered most favourable for infection.
• July – August in India provides such condition and anthracnose spreads rapidly.
Management:
• Removal and destruction of affected twigs and mummies present on the trees
and on the orchard floor.
• Difolatan @ 0.2% Bordeaux mixture (3:3:50) OR coc @0.2-0.3%. Sprayed at 10
days interval starting before fruit set and continued during rainy season gives
satisfactory control.
• Benzimidazolehave been found effectiveas fruit dip for control of post harvest
decay of guava fruits. 5-10 in dip in 0.1% cabendazim controls phomopsis rot.
• Post harvest losses can be avoided by dipping the fruits in hot water at 500C for
15 min.
Zn deficiency
• Reported from Pushkar valley of Rajasthan in1954, the disease is more of
decline type than vascular wilt.
• Yellowing of leaf lamina surface enclosed by veins, reduction in size of
leaves, stunted growth of trees, and die-back of twigs.the leaves are
soft.Diseased part doesnot bear flowers and if some flowers formed
fruits,the latter dry and crack.
• Management:
• 450g Zn SO4+50g lime in72 litre water -3 spray at 2 month interval gives
complete recovery of tree.
Blister blight of Tea
Pathogen- Exobasidium vexans
Symptoms:
Initially oily,yellowish,transluscent spots appear on the tender leafand turn to deep
red shiny blisters.
Circular spots graduallyenlarges to 3-13 mm dimeter,bulged on the under surface of
leaf with concave trough like depression on the upper surface.
Leaves become curled and distorted. First flush of 2-3 young leaves are attacked and
young shoots and buds are killed. Matures are not affected.
In nursery,seedlings are stunted, young shoots and buds are killed.
Basidiospores cause secondary infection.
Survival & spread: Primary Basidiospores in infected plant debris; secondary-
Basidiospores dispersed by rain splash and wind.
R.H-more than 83% for 7-10 days; temp below 350c; Bushes in low, moist, shady
locality suffers more;prunned bushes with new flushes is highly susceptible
Management :1. seedling must be protected in nursery by weekly spray with 0.3%
Copper oxychloride.
Spray a mixture of 210 g COC+ 210g Nickel chloride /ha at 5days interval from june-
September and 11 days interval from October – November.
Mancozeb, tridemorph, triademefon and Pyracarbolid offer good disease control.
Blister blight symptoms
Coffee rust
• Severe epidemics in Sri Lanka in 1868 led to shifting of tea cultivation.
Symptoms: the fungus confines itself to leaf blade,rarely occurs on berries.
• Small pale yellow spots develop on upper surface of leaves usually around
margins.the fungua sporulates through stomata rather than breaking
through epidermis. So, it doesnot form the pustules typical of many rusts.
• Powdery lesions on under sides of leaves can be orange yellow to red –
orange in colour. The centres of spots dry and turn brown while margins of
lesions continue to expand and produce uredospores.
• Infection slowly progresses upward in the bush and host tissue becomes
dark brown , then black and dries up.
• The damage to the plant is severe when it affects the young flush causing
defoliation and reduction in yield.
• Survival and spread: Mycelium or uredospores in infected leaves serves as
primary source ; Uredospores dispersed by wind and water as secondary
source. Pycnial and aecial stages are not known.
Rust of Coffee
Favourable condition: Uredospores germinate only in free water.
• Thick canopy of shade prevent the spread of spores thus secondary spread
is checked.
• Rainy weather and heavy dew favour spread.
• Severe from July to December
• Management
• Collect diseased leaves and destroy.
• Spray the bushes once with Bordeaux
[email protected]% 05 Copper oxy
chloride @0.25% , 2-3 times during monsoon.
• Spray Triademefon @0.05%
Red rust of Tea
Pathogen- Cephaleuros mycoides- An algal disease
Symptoms: The attack on Leaves takes place during rainy season. Orange
coloured spots are formed by hairy growth on leaf surface. On the margin
of spots, orange coloured sporangia of the algae are seen.Similar algal
growth occurs on twigs also.
• Normally ,no control measures are required. Alga disappears from the tree
during cold seasonsand also during fruiting seasons.
• In case of severe attack, copper fungicides can be sprayed.
• It is found specially in areas where atmospheric humidity is high and
average rainfall is around 2500mm.
•THANKS
