Seed treatment: Suitable approaches for establishing nursery of sugarcane free of phytoplasma associated diseases

The supply of disease-free seed material forms the basis for higher yield production. Hence, a clean seed program is of prime importance. To eliminate the phytoplasmas associated with sugarcane grassy shoot, white leaf and yellows leaf thermotherapy is one of the proven e approaches to inactivate the bacteria residing inside the tissues of seed canes. On the other hand, the varieties that have soft buds or bud bulging issue can be treated with streptocycline (at 0.01%) in cold water (CWT at 15°C). This is also effective in preventing the infection and enhanced the rate of germination as compared to hot water treatment (HWT) (at 50°C for 2 hours). In addition, treatment with systemic fungicide like carbendazim at 0.1% in CWT is recommended to prevent entry of soil pathogens into the setts.