Details about major diseases of black pepper

1. COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY
(Affiliated to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-3)
Kullapuram (Po), Via Vaigai Dam, Theni-625 562
DISEASES OF BLACK PEPPER
Student: Course Teacher:
Sruthi A B Dr. Parthasarathy S
2015021126 Asst. Prof. Plant Pathology.

2. List of diseases in black pepper
1. Foot rot /quick wilt disease
2. Pollu disease /anthracnose
3. Slow decline /slow wilt
4. Stunt disease
5. Phyllody disease
6. Basal wilt
7. Leaf rot and blight

3. 1. Foot rot / Quick wilt of pepper
Significance:
• Quick wilt is one of the most destructive diseases of pepper
prevalent in Kerala.
• The infection initiates with the onset of south-west monsoon.
• Affects all cultivable varieties and vines of all age group.

4. SYMPTOMS
Collar:
• Formation of water soaked lesions, changing to wet slimy dark
patches on the collar region and rotting.
• Foot rot, the fatal symptom, is seen at the collar region resulting
in quick wilt.
Roots:
• Root infection also initiates as water soaked dark patches on
feeder, tertiary, secondary and primary roots resulting in root
decaying and shredding of roots.

5. Stem:
• The infection on runner shoots and cuttings cause rotting of
sprouts resulting in shoot rot.
• breaking of stem at the nodal regions branches turn dark brown
due to rotting
Leaves:
• Uniformly dark on young leaves or shows concentric zonation
with grayish centre on mature leaves.
• Water soaked lesions and rapidly expands into large dark brown
spots.

6. Spikes and Berries:
• withering and shriveling of berries and heavy spike shedding
without any discoloration.

7. @vikaspedia.in/agriculture

8. @cpsskerala.in

9. Pathogen:
• Causal organism: Phytophthora capsici Leonian
• It is a heterothallic oomycete
• Phytophthora capsici produces both a male and a female
type gametangia called an antheridium (male) and
an oogonium (female).
• The oospores, zoospore and chlamydospores surviving in
soil germinate with the receipt of monsoon showers and
initiate infection in roots and at collar region.

10. Systematic position:
• Phylum: Heterokontophyta
• Class: Oomycota
• Order: Peronosporales
• Family: Peronosporaceae
• Genus: Phytophthora
• Species: P. capsici

11. Sporangia Disease cycle
www.wikipedia.org

12. Favourable condition:
• Heavy rainfall,
• more number of rainy days,
• high relative humidity of more than 90%,
• low temperature of 22-25 ºC and
• less sunshine hours are the favorable climatic conditions for the
disease

13. Mode of spread:
• Primary spread: oospores
• Secondary spread: zoospores
• Secondary inoculum, Zoospore leads to sudden outbreak.
• Spread is through soil, water, root contacts, movement of people,
slugs, snails, use of contaminated implements etc.
• Intercultural operations especially soil digging around the vine,
nematode infestation, root mealy bug attack etc. predispose the
infection.

14. Management:
• Phytosanitation.
• Drench such spots with 0.2% COC (2g/L) or 1% Bordeaux
mixture to eradicate the inoculum from the soil.
• Plant disease free rooted cuttings.
• Allow penetration of sunlight.
• Proper pruning.
• Use biocontrol agents such as Trichoderma viride, Pseudomonas
fluorescens and VAM inoculated cuttings

15. • During the initial phase of infection, drench the vines with
0.2 % Potassium/Sodium Phosphonate.
• Spray with 0.1 to 0.15% Potassium/ Sodium Phosphonate
which is compatible with biocontrol agents.
• Do not use copper fungicides if the garden is protected with
biocontrol agents.
• Spray Ridomil MZ (Metalaxyl + Mancozeb) @ 2g / L.

16. 2. POLLU DISEASE / ANTHRACNOSE
@agritech.tnau.ac.in

17. Other names:
• In India, this is known as fungal ‘pollu’ disease.
• In Malaysia/Indonesia : black berry disease.
• Also referred to as "Berry spot" and "Berry split”.

18. Symptoms:
• Symptoms appear in leaves and stems. Circular or irregular grey
spots appear in the leaves.
• The lesion or spot has a prominent yellow halo around it.
• These lesions may coalesce resulting in leaf blight and
subsequent defoliation.
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19. • Concentric rings of acervuli appear on upper surface of the
leaves. On the stem the infection appear at the tips spreads
downwards and kill the entire vine.
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20. • On spikes, black discoloration appears on the attached portion of
the stem, later leading to spike shedding which results in 100%
yield loss.
• On the berries, sunken areas or lesions develop, the infected
berries get mummified, later become hollow (Pollu).
• On developed berries, cracks develop on the pericarp or berries
and radially split leading to dry weight loss.
@cpsskerala.in

21. Pathogen:
Causal organism:
Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and
Colletotrichum necator
• Mycelium septate, conidiophore bears conidia which are falcate,
hyaline, unicellular with narrow ends.
• Acervuli and setae present.

22. Favourable condition:
• The infection is noticed during June at the time of spike
emergence.
• Monsoon season.

23. Mode of spread:
• Primary spread: Ascospores from infected plant debris.
• Secondary spread: air borne conidia.

24. Management:
• Remove and destroy all fallen leaves and spikes.
• Irrigating vines during summer months.
• Adequate shade regulation is a must for managing this disease.
• P. fluorescens 20g/L of commercial formulation, once before
flowering and then at berry formation stage.
• Spray COC 0.2% (2g/L) or Bordeaux mixture 1%.
• In the severely infected gardens, spray Carbendazim at 0.1%

25. 3. SLOW DECLINE
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26. Symptoms:
• Foliar yellowing, die back of aerial stems, occasional tip burn,
interveinal chlorosis and flaccidity of leaves.
• The affected plants dies within 2-5 years.
@www.kisansuvidha.com

27. • The root system of the affected vines shows the presence of root
knots and root.
• With the onset of south west monsoon during May/June, some of
the affected vines recover and put forth fresh foliage.
• The symptoms reappear in subsequent seasons after the cessation
of the monsoon and the diseased vines gradually lose their vigour
and productivity.
@researchgate.net

28. Pathogen:
• This disease is a fungal nematode chromista complex coupled
with moisture stress and malnutrition.
• Pathogenecity of Meloidogyne incognita and
Radopholus similis has been established.
• Association of Rhizoctonia sp.,
Fusarium sp and
Diplodia sp.

29. Meloidogyne incognita Radopholos similis
@en.wikipedia.org

30. Favourable conditions:
• Rainy seasons and loamy light soils favours the development of
disease.

31. • Mode of survival:
• Fungus survives in disease plant debris.
• Cysts and egg masses in infected plant debris and soil or
collateral and other hosts like Solonaceous, Malvaceous and
Leguminaceous plants act as sources of inoculums.
Spread:
• Autonomous second stage juveniles that may also be water
dispersed.

32. Management:
• Raise pepper cuttings in solarized nursery mixture.
• Use nematode free rooted cutting for planting.
• Apply green mulch of Eupatorium odoratum at the rate of
45tonnes /ha.
• Treat the vines with native isolates of Mycorrhizae /Trichoderma/
Pseudomonas/ Bacillus macerans/ B. cerculans at the time of
planting in the nursery as well as in the main field.
• Assure root mealy bug control if observed.
.

33. 4. STUNT DISEASE
Causal organism: Piper nigrum strain of Cucumber mosaic virus
@cpsskerala.in

34. 5. PHYLLODY DISEASE
Causal organism: Phytoplasma
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35. 6. BASAL ROT
Causal organism: Sclerotium rolfsii
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