LECTURE – 14

STUDY OF ETIOLOGY, SYMPTOMS, HOST-PARASITE RELATIONSHIP AND SPECIFIC

MANAGEMENT PRACTICES OF COTTON DISEASES - BACTERIAL BLIGHT, FUSARIUM
WILT, VERTICILLIUM WILT, ROOT ROT

Bacterial blight or Angular leaf spot or Black arm

Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum
Economic importance
This disease was first observed in Tamil Nadu in 1918. It is an important disease in
Maharashtra, Karnataka, A.P., Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.

Symptoms
The bacterium attacks all stages from seed to harvest. Usually five common phases of
symptoms are noticed.
i) Seedling blight: Small, water-soaked, circular or irregular lesions develop on the
cotyledons. Later, the infection spreads to stem through petiole and cause withering and
death of seedlings.
ii) Angular leaf spot: Small, dark green, water soaked areas develop on lower surface of
leaves, enlarge gradually and become angular when restricted by veins and veinlets and
spots are visible on both the surface of leaves. As the lesions become older, they turn to
reddish brown colour and infection spreads to veins and veinlets.
iii) Vein blight or vein necrosis or black vein: The infection of veins causes blackening
of the veins and veinlets, gives a typical ‘blighting’ appearance. On the lower surface of
the leaf, bacterial oozes are formed as crusts or scales. The affected leaves become
crinkled and twisted inward and show withering. The infection also spreads from veins to
petiole and cause blighting leading to defoliation.
iv) Black arm: On the stem and fruiting branches, dark brown to black lesions are
formed, which may girdle the stem and branches to cause premature drooping off of the
leaves, cracking of stem and gummosis, resulting in breaking of the stem which hang
typically as dry black twig to give a characteristic “black arm” symptom.
v) Square rot / Boll rot: On the bolls, water soaked lesions appear and turn into dark
black and sunken irregular spots. The infection slowly spreads to entire boll and shedding
occurs. The infections on mature bolls lead to premature bursting of bolls. The bacterium
spreads inside the boll and lint gets stained yellow because of bacterial ooze and looses its
appearance and market value. The pathogen also infects the seed and causes reduction in
size and viability of the seeds.

Angular leaf spot Veinal necrosis Boll rot

Pathogen
The bacterium is a short rod with a single polar flagellum. It is gram negative, non-spore
forming and measures 1.0-1.2 X 0.7-0.9 µm. The bacterium is aerobic, capsule forming
and produces yellow colonies in culture medium.

Disease cycle
The bacterium survives on infected dried plant debris in soil for several years. The
bacterium is also seed-borne and remains in the form of slimy mass on the fuzz of seed
coat. It multiplies soon after the seed is sown and infects the seedling through the
micropyle. Volunteer plants that arise from the bolls falling off prematurely also provide a
source of primary infection. The bacterium also attacks other hosts like Thurbaria
thespesioides, Eriodendron anfructuosum and Jatropha curcas. The primary infection
starts mainly from the seed-borne bacterium. The secondary spread of the bacteria may
be through wind, wind blown rain splash, irrigation water, insects and other implements.
The bacterium enters through natural openings or insect caused wounds.

Favourable Conditions
0 0
Optimum soil temperature of 28 C, high atmospheric temperature of 30-40 C, relative
humidity of 85 per cent, early sowing, delayed thinning, poor tillage, late irrigation and
potassium deficiency in soil. Rain followed by bright sunshine during the months of
October and November are highly favourable.

Management
 Remove and destroy the infected plant debris.
 Rogue out the volunteer cotton plants and weed hosts.
 Follow crop rotation with non-host crops.
 Early thinning, good tillage, early irrigation, early earthing up and addition of potash
to the soil reduces disease incidence.
 Grow resistant varieties like HG-9, BJA 592, G-27, Sujatha, 1412 and CRH 71.
Suvin is tolerant.
 Gossypium herbaceum and G. arboreum are almost immune. G. barbadense,
G. hirsutum, G. herbaceum var typicum and G. herbaceum var acerifolium have
considerable resistance.
 Delint the cotton seeds with concentrated sulphuric acid at 125ml/kg of seed.
 Treat the delinted seeds with Carboxin at 2 g/kg seed or soak the seeds in 1000 ppm
0
Streptomycin sulphate overnight or treat the seed with hot water at 52-56 C for 10-
15 minutes.
 Spray with Streptomycin sulphate (Agrimycin 100), 500 ppm along with
Copper oxychloride at 0.3%.

Fusarium wilt
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum
Symptoms
The disease affects the crop at all stages. The earliest symptoms appear on the
seedlings in the cotyledons which turn yellow and then brown. The base of petiole shows
brown ring, followed by wilting and drying of the seedlings. In young and grown up
plants, the first symptom is yellowing of edges of leaves and area around the veins, i.e.
discolouration starts from the margin and spreads towards the midrib. The leaves loose
their turgidity, gradually turn brown, droop and finally drop off. Symptoms start from the
older leaves at the base, followed by younger ones towards the top, finally involving the
branches and the
whole plant. The defoliation or wilting may be complete leaving the stem alone standing
in the field. Sometimes partial wilting occurs; where in only one portion of the plant is
affected, the other remaining free. The taproot is usually stunted with less abundant
laterals. Browning or blackening of vascular tissues is the other important symptom,
black streaks or stripes may be seen extending upwards to the branches and downwards to
lateral roots. In severe cases, discolouration may extend throughout the plant starting from
roots extending to stem, leaves and even bolls. In transverse section, discoloured ring is
seen in the woody tissues of stem. The plants affected later in the season are stunted with
fewer bolls which are very small and open prematurely.

Marginal chlorosis & necrosis Browning of vascular bundles

Pathogen
The fungus produces three types of spores. Macroconidia are 1 to 5 septate, hyaline, thin
walled, falcate with tapering ends. The microconidia are hyaline, thin walled, spherical or
elliptical, single or two celled. Chlamydospores are dark coloured and thick walled. The
fungus also produces a vivotoxin, Fusaric acid which is partially responsible for wilting
of the plants.

Disease cycle
The fungus can survive in soil as saprophyte for many years and chlamydospores act as
resting spores. The pathogen is both externally and internally seed-borne. The primary
infection is mainly from dormant hyphae and chlamydospores in the soil. The secondary
spread is through conidia and chlamydospores which are disseminated by irrigation
water.

Favourable Conditions
0
Soil temperature of 20-30 C, hot and dry periods followed by rains, heavy black soils
with an alkaline reaction, increased doses of nitrogen and phosphatic fertilizers, soil
amendment with manganese and wounds caused by nematode (Meloidogyne incognita)
and grubs of Ashweevil (Myllocerus pustulatus).

Management
 Treat the acid-delinted seeds with Carboxin or Chlorothalonil at 4 g/kg
or Carbendazim @ 2 g/kg seed
 Remove and burn the infected plant debris in the soil after deep summer
ploughing.
 Apply increased doses of potash with a balanced dose of nitrogenous and
phosphatic fertilizers.
 Multiply Trichoderma viride (2kg) in 50 kg of Farm yard manure for 15 days and
then apply to the soil.
  Apply heavy doses of farm yard manure or other organic manures at 10 t/ha. Follow
0
mixed cropping with non-host plants to lower the soil temperature below 20 C by
providing shade.
 Soil amendment with zinc.
 Grow disease resistant varieties of G. hirsutum and G. barbadense like Varalakshmi,
Vijaya, Pratap, Jayadhar, Jarila, Jyothi, G 22 and Verum.

Verticillium Wilt
Verticillium dahliae
Economic Importance

The disease is a major disease in cotton in USA and USSR and was first reported in India
during 1968 on hirsutum cottons in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The disease usually appears
in November and December when the crop is in squares and bolls, about three months
after sowing.

Symptoms
The symptoms are seen when the crop is in squares and bolls. Plants infected at early
stages are severely stunted. The first symptoms can be seen as distinct mottling of leaves
with pale yellowish irregular areas at the margins and between the principal veins. The
yellowish areas become pale, more whitish and extensively necrotic. The necrosis of the
leaves spreads from lower to upper leaves and there is heavy defoliation. The affected
leaves fall off leaving the branches barren. Infected stem and roots, when split open, show
a pinkish to pinkish brown discolouration of the woody tissue which may be
continuous or interrupted. Pinkish streaks alternating with healthy tissue (Tiger stripe)
are seen on removing the bark of the roots, stem and petiole. The affected plants may bear
a few smaller bolls with immature lint.

Pinkish discolourations Conidiophore & conidia

Pathogen
The fungus produces hyaline, septate mycelium and two types of spores. The conidia
are single celled, hyaline, spherical to oval, borne singly on verticillate conidiophores. The
micro sclerotia are globose to oblong, measuring 48-120 X 26-45um.

Disease cycle
The fungus also infects the other hosts like brinjal, chilli, tobacco and bhendi.
The fungus can survive in the infected plant debris and in soils as microsclerotia upto
14 years. The seeds also carry the microsclerotia and conidia in the fuzz. The primary
spread is through the micro sclerotia or conidia in the soil. The secondary spread is
through the contact of diseased roots to healthy ones and through dissemination of infected
plant parts through irrigation water and other implements.

Favourable Conditions
0
Low temperature of 15-20 C, low lying and ill-drained soils, heavy soils with
alkaline reaction and heavy doses of nitrogenous fertilizers favours the disease.

Management
 Treat the delinted seeds with Carboxin @ 4 g/kg or Carbendazim at 2 g/kg.
 Remove and destroy the infected plant debris after deep ploughing in summer
months.
 Apply heavy doses of farm yard manure or compost at 10 t/ha.

 Follow crop rotation by growing paddy or Lucerne or chrysanthemum for 2-3

years.
 Spot drench with 0.05 per cent Benomyl or Carbendazim.
 Grow disease resistant varieties like Sujatha, Suvin and CBS 156.

Root rot
Rhizoctonia bataticola
(Pycnidial stage: Macrophomina phaseolina)
Economic importance
This disease is severe in many parts of India, especially in Punjab and Gujarat.

Symptoms
The fungus causes three types of symptoms, viz., seedling disease, sore-shin and root
rot. Germinating seedlings of one to two weeks old are attacked by the fungus at
the hypocotyl and cause black lesions, girdling of stem and death of the seedling, causing
large gaps in the field. In sore-shin stage (4 to 6 weeks old plants), dark reddish-brown
cankers are formed on the stems near the soil surface which later turns dark brown or
black and plant breaks at the collar region leading to drying of the leaves and
subsequently the entire plant. Typical root rot symptom appears normally at the time of
maturity of the plants. The most prominent symptom is sudden and complete wilting of
plants in patches in concentric circles. Initially, all the leaves droop suddenly and die
within a day or two. The affected plants when pulled reveal the rotting of entire root
system except tap root and few laterals. The bark of the affected plant shreds and even
extends above ground level. In badly affected plants the woody portions may become
black and brittle. A large number of dark brown sclerotia are seen on the wood or on the
shredded bark.
Pathogen
The fungal hyphae are septate and fairly thick and produce black, irregular
sclerotia which measure 100 µm in diameter.
Disease cycle
The disease is mainly soil-borne and the pathogen can survive in the soil as sclerotia
for several years. The spread is through sclerotia which are disseminated by irrigation
water, implements, heavy winds and other cultural operations.

Favourable Conditions
O
Dry weather following heavy rains, high soil temperature (35-39 C), low soil
moisture (15-20 per cent), cultivation of favourable hosts like vegetables, oil seeds and
legumes preceding cotton and wounds caused by ash-weevil grubs and nematodes.

Management
 Treat the seeds with Trichoderma viride @ 4 g/kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens
@ 10 g/kg of seed.
 Treat the seeds with Carboxin or Thiram at 4 g or Carbendazim at 2 g/kg.
 Spot drench with 0.1% Carbendazim or 0.05 % Benomyl.
 Apply farm yard manure at 100 t/ha or neem cake at 2.5 t/ha.
 Adjust the sowing time, early sowing (First Week of April) or late sowing (Last
week of June) so that crop escapes the high soil temperature conditions.
 Adopt intercropping with sorghum or moth bean (Phaseolus aconitifolius) to
lower the soil temperature.
 Grow resistant varieties like KH 33/1146, 15/KW-2 (MB).