eChapters

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is considered as the important pulse and popular leguminous vegetable in India. Pea belongs to the genus Pisum, a member of family papilionaceae. Rhizobium bacterium found in root nodules that fixing atmospheric nitrogen and helps in soil fertility. Pea (Pisum sativum L.) originated in the near East and Mediterranean regions. Pea diseases are affect the crop both quantitatively as well as qualitatively. Pea crop diseases caused by the fungal (rust, powdery mildew, downy mildew, aschochyta blight, septoria blight, fusarium root rot, aphanomyces root rot, alternaria blight, wilt, anthracnose, cercospora leaf spot, damping off, seedling rot), bacterial (bacterial blight and brown spot), nematode (root-knot nematode, cyst nematode and lesion nematode) and viral diseases (pea enation mosaic, pea mosaic, pea seed borne mosaic, pea early browning virus, pea streak, pea stunt and cucumber mosaic virus). India is the largest producer, consumer and importer of pulses in the world.

Powdery Mildew

Erysiphe polygoni

Economic Importance

• Powdery mildew can be a serious disease of peas grown in India.
• It appears in epidemic form in the plains almost every year when the pods are formed in January-February.
• Since the disease occurs more frequently and covers a large host surface, it proves much more destructive than the downy mildew disease of the same crop.
• It is worst in dry weather as against the downy mildew, which flourishes in moist weather.
• Severe infections can reduce yield by 10–20%.
• Severe pod infection can lead to poor seed quality.

Powdery Mildew

Erysiphe polygoni

Diagnostic Symptoms

• At first symptom appears on leaves.

• White floury patches appear on both surface of leaves as well as tendrils, stem and pod.

Leaf Curl

Taphrina deformans

Disease Symptoms

• Initially yellowish to reddish areas appear on leaf blade of young leaves in the spring.

Introduction

Pear (Pyrus communis L.) is a temperate fruit that mainly grows in hilly areas at a elevation ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 metres. This temperate fruit is commonly eaten fresh or is canned. It is used to produce an alcoholic beverages and perry. The production of pear is 17 million tons per year in worldwide and the cultivation is expanding throughout the worldwide.

Pear cultivation is affected by many bacterial, fungal and viral diseases due to which it reduces the plant strength and decreases the quality of yield. Besides,pear can be also affected by many disorders and nematodes.

Bacterial Diseases

Fire blight

Fire blight disease is a serious concern to pear producers. It can destroy an entire orchard under optimal conditions in a single growing season.

Downy Mildew (Green Ear)

Sclerospora graminicola

Economic Importance

• Downy mildew is reported from temperate and tropical regions of the world.
• In India, the disease is a major stumbling block in the full exploitation of yield potential of hybrids.
• Several epidemics have been observed which resulted in substantial grain yield losses (upto 60 percent) in F₁ hybrids under South Indian conditions.
• Usually the losses in grain yield are directly proportional to disease incidence in the field.

Phosphorus is a critical mineral for animal health, playing a vital role in bone development, energy metabolism, cell signalling, and overall physiological functions. Disorders related to phosphorus imbalance, whether due to deficiency or excess, can lead to significant health issues in animals.
a) Pica
Pica is a condition characterized by the persistent ingestion of non-nutritive substances such as soil, rocks, plastic, cloth, or other inappropriate materials. While commonly observed in humans, pica is also prevalent in animals, including livestock, domestic pets, and wildlife. It is often a sign of underlying health, environmental, or nutritional issues. Understanding the causes, implications, and management of pica is crucial for animal welfare and productivity.
Causes of pica in animals
The aetiology of pica in animals is multifaceted and can be broadly categorized into nutritional, medical, behavioural, and environmental factors.

Introduction

Pineapple is one of the most important commercial fruit crop in India. It occupied an importance in the horticultural wealth and economy of the country. India ranked seventh among the pineapple producing country in the world during 2013-14 (GoI, 2014). It grows well in practically all type of soils with slightly acidic in nature, both in plain and hills. It is affected by several different pathogens wherever it grown and result in substantial crop losses. Some important diseases cause complete loss of the fruit marketableimportance. The major problems faced by pineapple growers in India are discussed below.

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is an edible fruit bearing plant native to South America belonging to family Bromeliaceae. Pineapple is grown over an area of 1.06 million hectares with an annual production of 29.36 million metric tonnes (FAO, 2022). Pineapples are rich in vitamin C, minerals, fiber and low in calories. The enzyme bromelain present in pineapple is of considerable importance to the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry (Varilla et al., 2021). The market for pineapples has been expanding significantly because of its appealing aroma compounds and nutritional benefits. The climate and distribution of rainfall in tropical and sub-tropical regions make these areas ideal for pineapple cultivation. Worldwide, Brazil is the leading producer of Pineapple followed by Philippines, Thailand, Costa Rica and India (FAO, 2022). In India the leading pineapple producing states are West Bengal, Northeastern region, Bihar, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra.This ‘Kew’ of Cayenne group and ‘Mauritius’ of the rough leaf Queen group are the two varieties dominating in India (Devi et al., 2013; Joy and Sindhu, 2012).

Botanically, Pineapple is a herbaceous perennial having short stem and tough waxy leaves. It produces a fleshy, edible, yellow fleshed which is a fusion of 100-200 berry like fruitlets. Most of the members of Bromeliaceae family are epiphytes i.e. grown on rocks and living trees though pineapples grow on the soil bearing sensitive adventitious root that cannot regenerate once damage and intolerant to poor soil aeration. The cultivated varieties of pineapple can be categorized into three groups namely, Cayenne, Queen, and Spanish. The Spanish and Cayenne groups can be cultivated for dual purposes viz. fresh fruit and canning. However, the Queen group are only cultivated for fresh fruit markets due to the presence of deep eyes making it unsuitable for canning (Devi et al., 2013).

12.1. Tea

12.1.1. Algal leaf spot: Cephaleuros virescens

Symptoms

• Leaves develop lesions that are roughly circular, raised and purple to reddish brown.

Management

• Removal of infected portions and spraying of Bordeaux mixture

• Improving soil nutrient status by application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium

12.1.2. Brown blight, grey blight: Colletotrichum sp., Pestalotiopsis sp.

Pomegranate (Punicagranatum L.) an extraordinary fruit crop that is cultivated worldwide with dominancy in Mediterranean countries like Morocco, Spain, Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan and Baluchistan since primordial times. Tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Indian sub-continent are the prominent areas under cultivation of this fruit crop. India plays a leading role in pomegranate production with contribution of nearly 50% of global production. The total area under pomegranate is 132 thousand hectare with annual production of 1357 thousand MT in 2014-2015.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) a deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideaeis one of the most adaptive sub-tropical fruit crop. It was introduced in the Indian subcontinent during 15^th century from the Mediterranean region of the globe. India holds the first rank as producer and exporter of pomegranate since last decade. Among the states, Maharashtra is the largest producer of Pomegranate (Punica granatum) in India. Pomegranate have an impressive nutrition profile it contains 7 grams fiber, 3 grams protein, 30% Vitamin C, 36% Vitamin K, 16% Folate and 12% Potassium. It also contains 24 grams of sugar and 144 calories. It contains two important compounds namely Punicalagins and Puninic acid. Along with the above nutritional advantages, it also has immense health benefits right from curing a fatal disease like cancer to remedying arthritis and joint pain. India stands first in the list of Pomegranate producer countries with respect to cultivation area. The states leading in pomegranate production in India are Maharashtra (70.2%), Karnataka (10%), Gujarat (7.4%), Andhra Pradesh (6.7%), Telangana (1.9%), Madhya Pradesh (1.9%), Tamil Nadu (1.0%) and Rajasthan (0.4%) (Source: Horticultural Statistics at Glance, 2015).

Introduction

Pomegranates are a tasty, juicy, sweet fruit that are rich in nutrients. Punica granatum is its scientific name, and Iran is where it was originally found. Because pomegranates may be cultivated effectively in regions of the nation with dry climates, they hold a distinctive place among the fruits that are grown there. Other names for pomegranates include Dadim in Sanskrit, Bedana in Bengali, Anar in Hindi, and Madulai in Tamil. The states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh are the primary locations for its cultivation. From the perspective of export, this fruit is also highly significant.

Pomegranate is referred to as a “Super Food” because of its many health and nutritional advantages. It is one of the greatest sources of antioxidants and has significant medicinal and nutritional value. Ripe fruit has a pleasant and nutritious juice. Juice from pomegranates in the summer, sherbet is incredibly refreshing. Pomegranates are regarded as a medication for long life and excellent health in the Ayurvedic medical system.

Introduction

Potato is mostly considered as a vegetable crop in India, whereas it is a staple food crop in Europe, Canada, Australia, U.S.A, South America, Russia, Asia and other countries. In India, it is cultivated extensively in the hilly tracts during December-March or March-June and in the plains during September-January, as it requires cool and moist climate condition. As per FAOSTAT (2015), the potato production in India during 2013 was 45.34 mt from 1.99 mha area with a productivity of 22.76 t/ha. There are several varieties of potato grown in India and many diseases, some of which cause considerable damage to the crop. Potato crop can be affected by diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, virus, viroids and others by non-parasitic.

Late Blight

Economic Importance: Late blight is one of the most devastating diseases of potato throughout the world. It is recorded in area with frequent cool and moist weather. The disease is believed to have been introduced into Europe from South and Central America and spread to other countries which include the East Coast of Canada, Western Europe, Central and Southern China, South Eastern Brazil and the tropical highland. It created history by causing a famine in Ireland known as Irish Famine during 1845-46 resulting in death of many people due to starvation, dysentery and typhus spread among the farmers and subsequent migration of people from Europe especially from Ireland. Late blight has the tremendous potential to cause upto 70% reduction in the yield in a susceptible cultivar. Region wise economic importance of late blight shows that the disease takes highest toll of potato in Sub-Saharan Africa (44% crop losses) followed by Latin America (36%), Caribbean (36%), South-East Asia (35%), South-West Asia (19%)

Introduction

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a widely cultivated and essential staple crop globally, known for its versatile culinary applications and nutritional value. With the exception of Kerala, potatoes are grown in practically every state in India under a variety of climatic circumstances. During the brief winter months, which span from October to March, 82% of potatoes are grown in plains. In West Bengal, potatoes are the most widely grown crop after grains (Chakraborty, 2012). Originating from the Andes region of South America, potatoes have become a crucial part of diets worldwide, providing carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. With a rich history dating back to ancient civilizations, including the Irish potato famine, this crop has played a significant role in shaping agricultural practices and food security.

Late Blight

Phytophthora infestans

• Phytophthora in Greek means “plant destroyer”(phyto=plant, phthora= destroyer).

8.1. Redgram

8.1.1. Wilt: Fusarium udum

1. Symptoms

GREEN GRAM (Vigna radiata) & BLACK GRAM (Vigna mungo)
Fungal diseases
1) Seed and seedling rot
Symptoms: The seeds rot before germination and after germination the seedlings also show rotting. The disease can be easily identified by poor germination and poor stand of the crop.
Causal organisms
i) Fusarium sp
ii) Pythium sp
iii) Rhizoctonia solani
iv) Macrophomina phaseoli
 

Health care and preventive hygiene in rabbits are very important for the productivity of the rabbits and economical viability of a farm.

It is always better to prevent the disease rather than to get an animal treated, which is usually quite expensive. As such it is desirable that the rabbits are checked daily. The health and ailment signs can be recognized from the following things:

Radish (Raphanus sativus) is a cool weather crop and its origin is in Mediterranean, rapid growing annual or biennial plant belongs to family Brassicaceae, grown for its edible taproot. Its edible roots are having different color from as white to red. Radish is generally grown as an annual plant, surviving only one growing season. It is crop of tropical and temperate region. It is growing as herb in West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Assam areas are major radish growing states. Radish is good source of vitamin B6, Calcium, copper, magnesium and riboflavin. Also it is rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid and potassium.

Alternaria Blight

Economic Importance

Alternaria leaf spot diseases occur in every part of the world, in both vegetable crops and seed crops and most important disease of Brassica species, often results in severe yield losses. It is considered as a number one disease of radish affecting both fresh vegetable and seed production. The disease is more severe when the plants are left for seed production in the field and causes significant reduction in seed yield. Alternaria black spot of radish; black pod blotch of radish. A. japonica is a seed-borne pathogen of plants in the Brassicaceae. A. japonica is known to affect most parts of infected plants depending upon growth stage. There are reports of it on the hypocotyls and cotyledons of seedlings and on the leaves, petioles, stem, inflorescence, fruits (siliquae) and seeds of adult plants. A. japonica occurs in all parts of radish (Raphanus sativus) seed. Its presence in the embryo can result in seed death, but in milder infections it will affect seedlings after germination, causing seedling blight both before and after emergence.

Anthracnose

Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. & Magnus)

Glomerella lindemuthianum Shear

Economic Importance

• Anthracnose warrants a serious attention as it inflicts heavy economic losses to the crop, which may reach up to 100%, under conducive conditions.
• In India disease incidence has been reported to vary between 24.59 to 51.72 per cent.
• In Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir state disease incidence of 63.46% was recorded.