Management of Fruit Rot Disease of Arecanut Incited by Phytophthora meadii

Abstract

Arecanut is one of the major agriculturally important palm cultivated in humid tropics of India. Phytophthora “the plant destroyer” cause severe devastating diseases in arecanut palms. Fruit rot of arecanut is caused by the fungus Phytophthora spp. causes fresh infection during the monsoon and subsequent cooler months. The fungus survives as oospores, chlamydospores and mycelium in soil, on fallen nuts, on dried nuts and on inflorescence remaining in the crown. During 2014, a bulk farm trail was with Conventional Bordeaux mixture 1%, Stabilized Blue Bordeaux 1%, Metalaxyl Mz 0.2%, Copper Oxychloride 0.3%, Cymoxanil + Mancozeb @ 0.2% and potassium phosphonate products (Biofight 0.5% and Biopot 0.5%). The result indicated that the number of fallen nuts due to fruit rot incidence was 33.17% per palm. Application of conventional Bordeaux mixture at 1% has significantly reduced number of fallen nuts due to fruit rot of arecanut at 6 locations (0.91) and increased the nut yield (green nut 9230.44 kg/acre and dry nut 1200.32 kg/acre) followed by one percent of stabilized Bordeaux mixture and Metalaxyl MZ. Maximum disease incidence and affected fallen nuts was recorded in untreated check.