Phytophthora blight: Phytopthora drechsleri

Local name: Phytophtora angamaari

Damaging systems:

• It causes seedlings to die suddenly as in damping-off disease.
• Water-soaked lesions appear on the leaves and brown to black, slightly sunken lesions develop on the stems and petioles.
• Infected leaves lose turgidity, and become desiccated.
• Lesions girdle the affected main stems or branches which break at the point of infection and the foliage above the lesion dries up.
• When conditions are favourable, many plants die.
• Often produce large galls on their stems especially at the edges of the lesions.
• Root system is not affected.5-10% loss from this disease

Management:

Cultural control:

• Avoid sowing red-gram in fields with low-lying patches that are prone to water logging.
• Deep ploughing in Summer

Chemical control:

• Seed treatment with 4 g metalaxyl m.z (Apron) per kg of seed .