LECTURE NOTES ON MULBERRY DISEASES

Mulberry diseases:-

Fungal diseases

White root rot

Causative organism: rosellinia necatrix

 Symptoms- Shedding of leaves, Feeble growth of leaf buds, White mycelial patches on stump of the diseased plant, Root  rots

Control measures:- Diseased plants should be uprooted and burnt, Soil should be sterilized by placing calcium cyanamide in one-metre-deep holes, Use of antagonistic fungi like trichoderma and gliocladium in the soil, Disease free mulberry saplings should be used for cultivation

Mulberry trunk rot

Causative organism: Poliporus hispidus  and Gonoderma applantum

Symptoms:- Drying and rotting of the twigs and branches, Heart wood of the twig is destroyed

Control Measures:- Cuts or wounds in the plants should be covered with a fungiside. The affected branches should be cut and burnt

Wilt disease

Causative organism: sclerotium rolfsii

Black fungal patches appear on the cuttings. The sprouted shoots suddenly wilt and the cuttings die

Control measures:- Use of fungicides like bavistin , Spraying of antagonistic fungi Trichoderma harzianum

Powdery mildew disease

Causative organism: Phyllactinia  corylea.

White powdery patches appear on the ventral surface of the leaves. Affected leaves become dry, leathery and fall off.

Control measures:- Using wide spacing during initial plantation, Picking and burning of diseased leaves, Spraying morestan spray or karathane spray, Release of predator, yellow and white spotted lady beetles.

Bacterial diseases

Leaf blight disease

Causative organism: pseudomonas mori

Symptoms:- Small, water soaked irregular spots appear on the lower margins of the leaves. Affected young leaves become wrinkled and curl outwards. The lesions are dark,irregular,sunken and excrete bacterial ooze.

Control Measures:- Close spacing is to be avoided, Disease resistant varieties should be chosen for planting, Diseased plants are removed and burnt.

In vitro, the bacteria are controlled by streptocycline, streptomycin sulphate and streptopenicillin.