Plant Disease Research

Punjab is the major food growing state of India. It contributes many folds in the production of food grains. Wheat is the major crop of the state during rabi season. During kharif, rice is the main crop followed by cotton. Of, vegetables, potato, known as king of vegetables, is grown on considerable area in some districts of Punjab. In the present investigations disease scenario of the above four major crops is discussed, in order to develop suitable management strategies for these diseases. In rice, nine bacterial, fungal and nematode diseases were observed. Among them, bacterial leaf blight, sheath rot, sheath blight and foot rot are important ones. Cotton is attacked by more than 30 diseases, but the important are Cotton leaf curl disease, bacterial blight, fungal foliar leaf spots, wilt and root rots. In wheat, more than eight diseases are reported to be present and most prominent are yellow rust, loose smut, head scab and powdery mildew. In Potato, late blight, common scab and black scurf cause serious damage. With the passage of time and change in cropping sequences, some minor diseases became important where as some of the diseases has appeared as threat to these crops. Therefore on the basis of above studies, the management strategies can be developed to keep these diseases on various important crops under check in the state.