Evaluation and Development of Leaf Spot and Leaf Blotch Resistant Lines in Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), is an important spice crop of daily use, grown for its medicinal property and other uses. Field trials were conducted at ICAR-AICRP centers viz., Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), Raigarh (Chattisgarh) and Dholi (Bihar) for the screening of turmeric lines to identify tolerant lines to foliar diseases. A total number of fourteen entries from different AICRP centers were evaluated for foliar disease (leaf spot and leaf blotch) along with one local check. The results of the pooled data from the study revealed that, turmeric line, CL 34 of Coimbatore centre recorded minimum leaf spot (5.40 PDI) and leaf blotch (3.50 PDI) incidence with an yield of 32.91 t/ha.