DISEASES OF COTTON

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

• 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 abundent 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
before they mature.
Pathogen
The fungus produces three types
of spores. Macroconidia are 1 to
5 septate, hyaline, thinwalled,
falcate with tappering ends. The
microconidia are hyaline,
thinwalled, 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.
Favourable conditions: Soil temperature of 20-30 deg. C, hot and dry periods followed by rains, heavy black
soils with an alkaline reaction, increased doses of nitrogen and phosphatic fertilizers, wounds caused by
nematode (Meloidogyne incognita and grubs of Ashweevil (Myllocerus pustulatus).

Mode of Spread and Survival

• 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 wind and irrigation water.
Management

• Treat the acid-delinted seeds with Carboxin or Chlorothalonil at 4 g/kg.

• Remove and burn the infected plant debris in the soil after deep summer ploughing during June-
July.

• Apply increased doses of potash with a balanced dose of nitrogenous and phosphatic fertilizers.
Apply heavy doses of farm yard manure or other organic manures at 100/ha.

• Follow mixed cropping with non-host plants. Grow disease resistant varieties of G. hirsutum
and G. barbadense like Varalakshmi, Vijay Pratap, Jayadhar and Verum.
 Verticillium wilt
Verticillium dahliae

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 bronzing of veins.

It is followed by interveinal chlorosis and yellowing of leaves. Finally the leaves

begin to dry, giving a scorched appearence.

At this stage, the charateristic diagnostic feature is the drying of the leaf margins and
areas between veins, which gives a “Tiger stripe” or “Tiger claw” appearance. The
affected leaves fall off leaving the branches barren.
Infected stem and roots, when split
open, show a pinkish discolouration
of the woody tissue which may
taper off into longitudinal streaks in
the upper parts and branches.
The infected leaf also show brown
spots at the end of the petioles. The
affected plants may bear a few
smaller bolls with immature lint.
•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 condiophores.
The micro sclerotia are globose to oblong, measuring 48-120 X 26-45um.
•
Favourable Conditions

Low temperature of 15-20 deg. C, low lying and ill-drained soils, heavy soils with alkaline reaction and heavy doses
of nitrogenous fertilizers.

Mode of Spread and Survival

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 micro sclerotia upto 14 years. The seeds also carry the micro sclerotia 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.
Management

Treat the delinted seeds with Carboxin or Carbendazim at 4 g/kg.

Remove and destroy the infected plant debris after deep ploughing in summer months (June-July).

Apply heavy doses of farm yard manure or compost at 100t/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 and tolerant variety like MCU 5 WT.
 Black Arm/
Bacterial blight/ Angular blight
Xanthomonas campestris p.v malvacearum
Symptoms

The bacterium attacks all stages from seed to harvest.

Usually five common phases of symptoms are noticed.

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.

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.
Black arm : On the stem and fruiting Vein blight or vein necrosis or black vein : The infection of veins
branches, dark brown to black lesions cause blackening of the veins and veinlets, gives a typical ‘blighting’
are formed, which may girdle the stem appearance. On the lower surface of the leaf, bacterial oozes are
and branches to cause premature formed as crusts or scales. The affected leaves become crinkled and
drooping off of the leaves, cracking of twisted inward and show withering. The infection also spreads from
stem and gummosis, resulting in
breaking of the stem and hang typically
veins to petiole and cause blighting leading to defoliation.
as dry black twig to give a characteristic
“black arm” symptom
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 infection on mature
bolls lead to premature bursting. 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
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 um.
Favourable Conditions
Optimum soil temperature of 28OC, high atmospheric temperature of 30-40OC, 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.
Mode of Spread and Survival
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. The bacterium also attacks other
hosts like Thumbergia thespesioides, Eriodendron anfructuosum and Jatropha curcus. 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.
Management
• Delint the cotton seeds with Concentrated sulphuric acid at 100ml/kg of seed.
• Treat the delinted seeds with Carboxin or Oxycarboxin at 2 g/kg or soak the seeds in 1000 ppm
Streptomycin sulphate overnight.
• Remove and destory the infected plant debris. Rogue out the volunteer cotton plants and weed
hosts.
• Follow crop rotation with non-host crops.
• Early thinning and early earthing up with potash.
• Grow resistant varieties like Sujatha, 1412 and CRH 71. Spray with Streptomycin sulphate+tetra-
cycline mixture 100g along with Copper oxychloride at 2kg/ha or spray Copper oxychloride alone
at 2.5kg/ha.