The Gazetteers Department

In addition to the damage done by pests, the crops suffer from various plant diseases. The following are the important diseases of cereal crops prevalent in the Satara district.

Of Cereals.

Kani, kajli, ziprya and lamb kani the jowar smuts (ustilago tritici, spacelotheca crucuta, sorosporium reilianum and tolyposporium ehrenbergi) : These diseases are responsible for extensive damage to the crops in this district. The smuts are of four types, of which the grain smut is the most destructive and if control measures are not adopted brings about heavy losses to the cultivators. This disease can be entirely prevented by treating the seed with 200-300 mesh fine sulphur at the rate of one tola for one seer of seed.

Kevada, ergot and kani are important diseases affecting bajra. Of these, ergot has become serious, of late, in as much as the grain and ears affected are poisonous to both, human beings and cattle. Steeping the affected seed in 20 per cent, salt solution and washing it thereafter thrice or more in water and drying the same thoroughly is the only, way of making the affected grain edible.

Tambera (puccima graminis tritici), mar, the wilt disease (fusarium oxysporium) and kajli (spacelotheca crucuta) affect the crop of wheat. Of these tambera is the most destructive and if resistant varieties are not grown, it annually brings serious losses. Growing of Kenphad variety is recommended as it is resistant to black stem rust. Kajli, the loose smut of wheat can be effectively controlled by a modified solar heat treatment of seed which consists of steeping the seed in cold water for four or five hours and then spreading it on a galvanised iron sheet in the sun.

Of Pulses.

Mar, the wilt disease of gram (Fusarium Oxysporium) causes extensive damage and is not amenable to any direct control measure so far. Whole plants all over the field dry up, generally at the flowering stage or a little later. Resistant varieties such as Nagpur 352 and Dohad, are being evolved. So far, only remedy for the disease has been to uproot the affected plants and burn them.

Of Spices.

Pan value (virus) and tikka (cereospora sp.) are the two important diseases of chillies. Pan valane or murda, the leaf curl of chillies is a very serious disease and brings about severe losses to the cultivators. It is of a virus origin and the following schedule is to be followed for controlling the disease: -

(i) On seedling stage.-To spray Folidol E 605 (0.003 per cent, concentration) at weekly intervals.

(ii) After planting.-To spray Folidol E 605 (0-003 per cent, concentration) during the first month at an interval of 15 days and subsequently to continue the spray at the same interval with Folidol E 605 (0.002 per cent, concentration). The spraying should be discontinued two weeks before the harvest of fruits. Precaution should always be taken to wash the chillies well before marketing them.

Folidol is a parathion compound deadly poisonous to human beings and cattle. Spraying should be carried out on days when there are no strong blowing winds and should not be done against the direction of winds. The same labour should not be engaged for spraying operation, continuously or on successive days as it is deadly poisonous.

Of Oilseeds.

Tikka, the disease of groundnut occurs in an epidemic form every year and causes sizable reduction in the yield of the crop. Spraying the crop with Bordeaux mixture in the proportion of 3:3: 50 helps to check the disease to a great extent. But this is not found to he economical.

Of Vegetables.

Bhuri, the powdery mildew (Erysiphe) on cucurbit is universal. It can be easily controlled by dusting sulphur.

Kevda the yellow vein mosaic of bhendi is a virus disease and causes damage to both rabi and kharif crops. It is a highly infectious disease transmitted by white flies and may cause damage to the crop to the extent of 40 or even 100 per cent. Systematic rogueing and destruction of all affected plants preceded by a " close season " during April and May (i.e. bhendi should not be sown during these months) help to control the disease very effectively. Breeding disease resistant types of bhendi is the only reliable method of controlling this disease and work in this direction is in progress.

Mar (verticillium dahliae) and tikka (cecospora sp.) are the common diseases of brinjal. Tikka can be controlled by spraying Bordeaux mixture in the proportion of 3: 3: 50 whereas mar cannot be controlled by any direct control method except growing of resistant varieties.

Pan value, leaf curl of tomato is a very serious virus disease transmitted by white flies. No control methods have been devised as yet.

Kobi kujavya. the blackrot of cabbage (xanthomonas campestris) is a serious disease of cabbage, cauliflower and knol khol. However, this can be effectively controlled by soaking the seed prior to sowing in mercuric chloride in the proportion of 1: 1,000 for about half an hour and subsequently washing the seed in cold water so as to' remove all the traces of corrosive sublimate.

Bhuri, the powdery mildew of coriander affects all the green parts of plants. One dusting of sulphur at the time of flowering at the rate of 25-25 lbs. per acre is sufficient to control the disease.

Bangdi, the ring disease, karpa (glososporium ampelophagum) and kevada (plasmopara viticola) are the important diseases affecting potatoes. They cause extensive damage, if the control measures are not adopted in time. Karpa disease can be effectively controlled by spraying Bordeaux mixture in the proportion of 3:3:50 while bangdi and kevada can be prevented by growing fresh seed imported every year from Simla Hills where it is grown at an altitude of not less than 7,000 feet.

Of Fruits.

Mar, the Panama disease of banana (fusarium oxysporum) is a serious disease of this fruit. Particularly the variety ' son' is highly susceptible to it. The only method of combating this disease is to grow wilt resistant varieties like ' basarai'. Kevada, the chlorosis of banana, is caused by a virus. Affected plants remain stunted and show some-what bushy appearance. Severely affected plants fail to yield fruits and in some cases the fruit is of a poor quality. The; disease is transmitted by aphids. Preventive methods used to control this disease are as under: -

(1) Destruction by burning of all affected plants in the garden so as to prevent spread of the disease.

(2) Planting of disease free suckers obtained from healthy gardens.

Of Sugarcane.

Tambera, the red rot (Colletotrichum falcatum) ; chabuk kani, the whip smut (Ustilago sacchari) ; us rangane and gautali phut are the important diseases affecting sugarcane. Gautali phut is a disease of virus nature transmitted by aphids. Tambera can be controlled by growing resistant varieties of cane like P.O.J, and Co. The best method of controlling chabuk kani consists in systematic collection of all diseased shoots in early stages in tightly woven gunnies and burning them with a view to keep down the infection and prevent spread of disease. Ratooning should be avoided. Further, this can be controlled by planting disease free sets. Us rangane is now practically absent in the State on account of introduction of resistant varieties.

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