1Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), P.O. CIMAP, Lucknow 226015, India
2Sugarcane Research Station, Kunraghat, Gorakhpur 273008, U.P., India
*Corresponding author: Rakshapal Singh E-mail: rakshapal2002@yahoo.com
Medicinal coleus (Coleus forskohlii) is an important medicinal crop which contains forskolin in their roots. Because of continuous collection of roots from the wild sources, this plant has been included in the list of endangered species. The crop has a great potential in future due to the expected increase in demand for forskolin which is widely used in glaucoma, cardiac problems, eczema, asthma, and hypertension and also used in the treatment of certain types of cancers. With the present annual production of about 100 tons from 700 ha in India, cultivation of C. forskohlii is picking up because of its economic potential. However, the crop has not become very popular among farmers because of its susceptibility to many diseases of which root- rot/wilt is the most important, causing serious losses affecting the tuber yield. The present review focuses on various diseases of important medicinal plant C. forskohlii and their management.
Coleus forskohlii, diseases, management
