Preliminary Screening of Indigenous Curcuma Germplasm against Taphrina Leaf Blotch and Colletotrichum Leaf Spot

A total of 237 accessions of various species of the genus Curcuma such as Curcuma brog Val. (2), C. amarissima Rosc. (5), C. aromatica Salisb. (34), C. caesia Roxb. (5), C. comosa Roxb. (2), C. ferruginea Roxb. (2), C. haritha Mangaly & Sabu (15), C. latifolia Rosc. (2), C. leucorrhiza Roxb. (6), C. aeruginosa Roxb. (38), C. montana Roxb. (1), C. amada Roxb. (49), C. soloensis Val. (1), C. zanthorrhiza Roxb. (45), C. longa var. vanaharidra Vela et al. (1), C. amada var. glabra Vela et al. (7) and C. raktakanta Mangaly & Sabu (8) and two unidentified entities (14 accessions) collected from different ecogeographical regions of India and maintained at Vellanikkara were subjected to observation on incidence of Taphrina leaf blotch and Colletotrichum leaf spot diseases under natural epiphytotic conditions at Vellanikkara which is a hot spot for these diseases. The results indicated a complete absence of Taphrina leaf blotch symptom in ten entities containing 97 accessions. Four entities with 14 accessions showed complete absence of symptoms of both the diseases over the years. With respect to Colletotrichum leaf spot disease variation among the species and within the species over the years was noticed.