Plant Disease Management Research Paper

Plant Disease Management: Cucurbitaceous Crops

Cultivation of vegetable is a remunerative venture than cereals and other filed crops. India is the second largest producers of vegetable with 2.8 % of total cropped area under vegetables. Vegetables constitute a very important part of human diet and are very good source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. In India, cucurbits share about 5.6% of the total vegetable production in the country. In our country, still there is a production and productivity gap to achieve the target for supply of minimum 200 g and Optimum 300 g. vegetable per capita per day as against the presently available 145g. As cucurbits account for 5.6% of the total vegetable production, production and productivity of

Removal and destruction of old vines and residues to reduce initial inoculum as it harbours the survival structures of the fungus. Crop rotation is also important to minimize disease. Planting in well-drained soil free from surface run-off water must be done. Application of preventative fungicide like mancozeb, chlorothalonil, thiophanate methyl or benomyl is recommended if weather conditions are favorable for disease development. For effective management of the disease, a weekly spray schedule with a recommended fungicide must be adopted, beginning at the first true leaf stage. Fungicide spray must be applied at recommended intervals throughout the

sp. melonis in melons and cucumber infects roots causing rotting of hypocotyls region and damping-off of seedlings or wilting and plant death of older plants. Wilting of the leaves is the first symptom observed in the field. Linear, necrotic lesion may develop on stems near the crown region extending up the plant and brown streaks may be visible on runners near the crown. Sometimes a gummy, red exudates as caused by gummy stem blight and insect injury, may be seen oozing from these lesions. Infected roots show characteristic brown discoloration upon splitting the stem, especially in the vascular tissue. As the pathogen attacks the host roots and moves into the stems, mature plants that are infected become stunted, wilt and eventually