DISEASES OF
SUGARCANE
PRESENTED BY GADADE YASH MARUTI
1.RED ROT
• C. O. -: collectotrichim fulcatum
• Symptoms-:
• The spindle leaves display drying. At a later stage, stalks become discoloured
and hollow.
• Acervuli (black fruiting bodies) develop on rind and nodes. After splitting open
the diseased stalk, a sour smell emanates.
• The internal tissues are reddened with intermingled transverse white spots.
ETIOLOGY-:
• Red rot disease is caused by the fungus Glomerella tucumanensis. An older
name, Colletotrichum falcatum .
• Management -:
• Adopt sett treatment with Carbendazim before planting (Carbendazim 50 WP
(0.5 gm in 1 litre of water) or Carbendazim 25 DS (1gm in 1 litre of water)
along with 2.5 kg of Urea in 250 litre of water.Use fungitoxic chemicals like
Bavistan, Benomyl, Topsin and Aretan at 0.1 per cent for 18 min.
2. WHITE SMUT -:
• C.O. -: ustilago scitaminal
• Symptoms-:
• Production of whip like structure ( 25 – 150 cm) from the growing point of
the canes.
• Whip covered by translucent silvery membrane enclosing mass of black
powdery spores.
• Initial thin canes with elongated internodes later become reduced in length.
• Etiology -: Sugarcane smut is a fungal disease of sugarcane caused by the
fungus Sporisorium scitamineum. The disease is known as culmicolous
• Management-:
• The management of sugarcane smut is done through the use of resistant
cultivars, fungicide and using disease free planting stock. Control is mainly
accomplished through the use of resistant cultivars in areas where the disease
is present.
• In areas where this disease is not yet found it is important to use disease-free
planting stock so as not to introduce the pathogen.
3. WILT
• C.O. -: fusarium sacchavi
• Symptoms-:
• The affected plants are stunted with yellowing and withering of crown
leaves.
• The midribs of all leaves in a crown generally turn yellow, while the leaf
lamina may remain green.
• The leaves dry up and stem develop hollowness in the core.
• Etiology-:
• The fungus is soil-borne and remains in the soil as saprophyte for 2-3 years.
The disease is primarily transmitted through infected seed pieces.
• The secondary spread is aided by wind, rain and irrigation water. Select the
seed material from the disease-free plots.
• Management-: Select the seed material from the disease-free plots.Avoid the
practice of ratooning in diseased fields.
• Burn the trashes and stubbles in the field.
• Grow coriander or mustard as a companion crop in the early stages of crop.
4. GRASSY SHOOT -:
• C.o. -: phytoplasm / mycoplasma like algaris
• Symptoms-: The symptoms shown by infected plants include whitening or
yellowing of the leaves, shortening of the internodes (leading to stunted
growth), smaller leaves and excessive proliferation of shoots, resulting in a
broom phenotype and loss of apical dominance.
• Etiology-:
• Sugarcane grassy shoot disease , caused by 'Candidatus Phytoplasma sacchari'
which are small, pleomorphic, pathogenic bacteria that contributes to yield losses
from 5% up to 20% in sugarcane. These losses are higher in the ratoon crop.
• Management-: Rogue out infected plants in the secondary and commercial seed
nursery.
• Treat the setts with aerated steam at 50°C for 1 hour to control primary infection.
• Treating them with hot air at 540C for 8 hours and spraying twice a month with
aphidicides.
5. RATOON STUNNING
• C.O. -: leifsonia xyli ( riketia like organism RLO )
• Symptoms-: Diseased clumps usually display stunted growth, reduced
tillering, thin stalks with shortened internodes and yellowish foliage.
• Orange-red vascular bundles in shades of yellow at the nodes are seen in the
infected canes.
• Etiology-:
• The disease is caused by the bacterium Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli . Evtushenko,
which infects the xylem (water transport) vessels of the sugarcane plant. The
bacterium is rod shaped, typically with a slight bend and measures 0.25-0.5 μm by
1-4 μm.
• Management-: Treat the setts with hot water at 50°C for about 2 hours this gives
100 per cent control.
• A temperature higher than this would kill the cane and lower temperature than the
specified enables the pathogen to survive.
• Aerated steam therapy eliminates the pathogen from the infected canes.
6. POKKA BOENG
• C.O. -: fusarium monilifornae
• Symptoms-: The of Pokkah Boeng disease are the appearance of chlorotic
patches towards the base of the young leaves, in acute cases disease shows
distortion of stalk with external and internal cut like lesions and rotting of
apical part of stalk.
• Etiology-:
• One of the current major diseases affecting sugarcane and sugar production is
pokkah boeng. It is caused by Fusarium species complex, a destructive
fungal disease in sugarcane-growing regions.
• Management-: The best means of control for pokkah boeng is to grow
resistant varieties. 2. Spraying of 0.1% carbendazim (1gm / lit. of water) or
0.2% Copper oxychloride or 0.3% Mancozeb (3 gm / lit.
