Diagnosis of disease and association of Alternaria spp. with Solanaceous hosts

Family Solanaceae is a larger family of Angiosperms which includes a number of vegetable crops apart from plants of medicinal value. Alternaria leaf-spots, blight and rotting of fruits of Solanaceous hosts have posed serious problems in the recent past. Four species of Alternaria viz., A. alternata, A. crassa, A. longipes and A. solani were observed to be assocaited with hosts of family Solanaceae. A. solani was found to be wide spread infecting nine plants while A. crassa and A. longipes were restricted to be confined with only hosts genera of Datura and Nicotiana, respectively. Symptomatology and etiology of diseases caused by Alternaria spp. were made in greater detail along with their morphological differentiation of culture (PDA) and nature (host). A very simple and feasible key was framed for ready and correct identification of all the four species of Alternaria associated with Solonaceous hosts.