Management of Diseases of Onions and Garlic

Abstract

Onions and garlic are the most popular cultivated forms of the family Alliaceae and consumed by almost every culture on earth. According to the 2001 statistics of the FAO, onions are second only to tomatoes in value of vegetable crops cultivated worldwide. There are a number of pathogens attack onions and garlic throughout their developmental stages since the developmental process is important in the progression of diseases. Onions are normally propagated from seed, planted directly into the field, although onion sets and transplants are also used. Garlic has been vegetatively propagated for millennia, by planting cloves. Vegetative propagation results in additional disease management problems. This chapter covers disease management of many of the major bacterial, fungal and viral diseases of onions and garlic, with an emphasis on those diseases that have been the topic of disease management research or for which effective disease management systems have been put into practice. Short descriptions of the pathogens and symptoms are included to assist in identification of the specific diseases