This document summarizes common diseases that affect mulberry plants, including fungal, bacterial, viral and nematode diseases. It describes the symptoms, factors that promote spread, and control methods for each disease. Key diseases discussed are leaf spot, powdery mildew, rust, root knot caused by nematodes, and deficiencies of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients. Control involves removing infected plant material, spraying fungicides or bactericides, applying fertilizers to address deficiencies, and cultural practices like wider spacing.

1. Diseases of Mulberry and their
management
By,
Nayana, B. P.
Msc. (Agri.)
SRF
UAHS, Shivamogga

3. MULBERRY DISEASES
Fungi, Bacteria, Virus and Nematode chiefly cause
many diseases of mulberry and they take a heavy
toll of mulberry leaf yield. Feeding the leaves of
infected plants to silkworms adversely affects their
growth and health resulting in partial or sometimes
complete failure of cocoon crops.

4. Fungal diseases:
Cercospora leaf spot: Cercospora moricloa ( Cooke ) Sacc.
(O –Moniliales : Class– Deutromycetes )
Period of occurrence
•The disease occurs during South–West monsoon and severe between
Aug– Oct
• The loss due to the disease ranges from 10 – 20 per cent depending on
the age of the garden.
Symptoms and nature of damage
• Initial symptoms of the disease are small light brown specks on leaves.
• These specks later enlarge into nearly circular, dark brown lesions with
chlorotic margin.
• Severely infected leaves turn yellow and fall off pre maturely.

5. Symptoms and nature of damage
Brownish necrotic, irregular spots appear on
the leaf surface.
Spots enlarge, extend and join together
leaving characteristic ‘shot hole’.
Leaves become yellow and wither off as
disease becomes severe
Factors responsible for spreading of the of the disease
1. The disease is air borne dispersing by uredospores through water
droplets and wind current.
2. Temperature of 22-26° C and high relative humidity above 70 % are
favorable for the disease development.

6. Control
• All the diseased leaves should be collected and
burnt prior to rainfall that avoids further spread in
the garden through rain water.
• Spray 0.2% Carbendazim (2 g/lt of water) twice at
15 days interval.
• Waiting period of this chemical is 15 days. So leaves
can be fed to worms after 15 days of spraying.

7. Powdery mildew
Phyllactinia corylea (Pers.) Karst (O–Erysiphales: Class – Ascomycetes)
Period of occurrence
 The disease occurs during Aug- Jan
 Maximum severity is noticed during Oct- Dec
 The loss incited by the disease ranges from 10 – 15 per cent
Symptoms and nature of damage
White powdery patches appear on the under surface of leaves. Under
favorable conditions, the symptom may progress to form an almost total
white superficial covering on the under surface of leaves. Infected leaves
turn yellow, lose the moisture and crumble if crushed finally leads to
defoliation.

8. Symptoms and nature of damage
White powdery patches appear on the lower
surface of the leaves.
The corresponding portions on the upper
surface develop chlorotic lesions.
When severe, the white powdery patches turn
to brownish-black; the leaves become yellow,
coarse and loose their nutritive value
Factors responsible for spreading of the disease:
The disease is air borne spreading by conidia primarily through wind
current.
Temperature of 24 - 28º C and high relative humidity (75-80 %) are

9. Control
 Adopting wider spacing facilitates adequate aeration and
penetration of sunlight helps to reduce disease severity.
Spray 0.2% Carbendazim (2 g/lt of water) twice at 15 days
interval. Waiting period of this chemical is 15 days.
Spraying of 0.2 % Karathane (Dinocap 30% EC) / Bavistin
on the lower surface of the leaves. Safe period 5 days or
spray Sulfex (80WP) 0.2%, safe period 15 days.

10. Period of occurrence
 This is most common during
winter months of Nov.- Jan.
 The loss due to disease is about 5
per cent.
Symptoms and nature of damage
Leaf rust
Cerotelium fici ( Cast.) Arth. And Peridiospora mori
( O – Uredinales : Class – Basidiomycetes )
Numerous, small, light brown specks appear on the under
surface of leaves.
Which later turn into dark brown rusty spots.

11. Control
1. All the diseased leaves should be collected and burnt
prior to rainfall that avoids further spread in the garden
through rain water.
2. Spray 0.2% Carbendazim (2 g/lt of water) twice at 15
days interval.
Waiting period of this chemical is 15 days. So leaves
can be fed to worms after 15 days of spraying.

12. Stem canker
Fungus Lasiodiplodia theobromae
This is a serious disease in south India in nurseries killing the
cuttings.
Symptoms and nature of damage
In nurseries
 Failure of cuttings to sprout, sudden withering and death of
sprouts, discolouration and drying of stems and buds above the
soil, rotting and peeling of bark, black mycelial strands of the
infected stem portion.
On established garden
 Greyish brown discoloration of the bark, delayed sprouting, death
of buds and sprouts and death of plants.

13. Symptoms and nature of damage
Control
1. Rouging of infected cuttings and saplings
2. Field should be kept clean.
3. Destruction of crop residues
4. Pretreatment of cuttings with 0.2% Carbendazim (2 g/lt of water) for
30 minutes and followed by spray after 15 days of planting

14. Root rot disease
Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum
( O- Tremellales : Class – Basidiomycetes )
 The disease appears in all types of soil and climate throughout the year.
 The loss is about 2 – 10 per cent.
Symptoms and nature of damage
 Sudden withering off of leaves takes place followed by dying of the plant.
 The roots are rotten.
Control
 Uproot the severely affected plants.
 While planting the rooted saplings, dip them in 0.2% Carbendazim solution
for half an hour and planting in pits with 5g Mancozeb.
 For existing plantation, apply 5g Mancozeb around the plant and cover it
with soil.

15. Fungal leaf blight
Pathogen: Alternaria alternata, Fusarium pallidoroseum
Occurrence;
 The disease starts progressing 45th DAP becoming severe on 70th DAP
and is prevalent during summer and rainy seasons.
 Crop loss 10-12%
Symptoms
 The disease starts as browning/ blackening of leaves starting either from
the leaf tip or edges of leaf lamina in the form of isolated irregular brown
coloured patches.
 As the disease spreads the entire leaf surface is affected resulting in fall of
leaves.

16. Factors responsible for spreading of the disease
 The disease is air borne dispersing by conidia through water
droplets and wind current.
 Temperature of 25-30º C and relative humidity of 40-60 % are
favourable for the outbreak of fungal blights.
Control measures to be adopted
Remove the infested leaves, collect in a polythene bag and
destroy by burning.
Follow wider spacing of plantation or paired row planting system
Spray 0.2 % Indofil M-45 (Mancozeb 75 % WP) solution on the
leaves.

17. Bacterial diseases
Bacterial leaf spot or bacterial blight
Pseudomonas mori Boyer and Lambert
( O – Pseudomonodeles : Class – Schizomycetes )
Period of occurrence
• The disease occurs during June – December.
• Yield loss is around 1- 2 per cent.
Symptoms and nature of damage
• Lesions initially consist of small, irregular, water soaked areas on the
under surface of leaves.
• Later, they enlarge and become dark brown to black necrotic lesions.
• If young leaves are infected, they curl and drop off, while medium
aged leaves turn yellow prior to defoliation.

18. Factors responsible for spreading of the disease
1. Though the disease is air and soil-borne, soil is the primary source of
infection and secondary infection–irrigation and cultivation practices.
2. High temperature (28-30 ºC) and high humidity (more than 80%) are
favorable for the disease development.
Control
Infected leaves should be removed and burnt to reduce the
inoculum load in the garden.
1. Follow wider spacing of plantation (90 cm x 90 cm) or paired row
planting system [(90 +150) × 60 cm]
2. Spray 100 ppm Streptocycline solution (1 g in 10 lt of water) on
leaves twice at 4 days interval or 0.2% Indofil M-45 (Mancozeb 75%
WP) on the leaves.

19. Root knot disease
Meloidogyne incognita ( Kofoid and White Chitwood )
(Sup family – Heteroderoidea ; O- Tylenchida, Class- Secernentia ;
Phyllum- Nematoda)
Period of occurrence
It occurs throughout the year, mainly in irrigated sandy loam soils having low
organic matter.
The loss due to disease is about 15 – 30 per cent.
Symptoms and nature of damage
 The endoparasitic female nematode lays 400 – 500 oval shaped eggs in a
sac on the roots.
 The young nematodes move freely in soil and enter the roots as result the
root cells undergo excessive multiplication resulting in gall formation.
 The infected plant exhibit stunted growth, poor and delayed sprouting and
reduces the leaf size and yield.

20. Symptoms and nature of damage
• Severely affected mulberry plants show stunted growth with low water
moisture in leaves, later yellowing of leaf margins.
• Formation of knots / galls on roots is the main indicator of the disease
symptom.
• Galls are spherical and vary in size; young galls are too small and
yellowish-white in colour, old galls are big and pale brown.

21. Factors responsible for spreading of the disease
• Disease spreads primarily through contaminated soil, farm
implements and run-off irrigation.
• Planting of infected saplings along with other susceptible crops
increases the disease intensity, some susceptible weeds in and
around the mulberry gardens act as the secondary sources of
infection
• Temperature between 27-30 ºC, soil moisture of less than 40 % and
pH of 5 to 7 are favorable for the development of the root knot
disease.

22. Control
1. Saplings free nematodes infestation should be used.
2. Deep ploughing helps in exposure of nematodes and their eggs
to solar radiation and killed.
3. Application of neem cake @2 MT/ha/year in 4 split doses
reduces nematode infestation during intercultural operation or
after pruning the plant or after leaf harvest by making the
trenches of 10 –15 cm deep near the root zone of plant and cover
with soil and irrigate.
4. Furadon 3G (40 kg/ha) can be applied either I furrows or
broadcast to the soil after light harrowing.

23. Root rot
Rhizoctonia bataticola (= Macrophomina phaseolina);
Associated secondary microbes: Fusarium solani/ F. oxysporum/
Botryodiplodia theobromae
Occurrence
 Through out the year in all types of soils especially when the soil
moisture and organic matter in soil are low.
 Crop loss: 15 % and above depending on the soil health and climate.
Symptoms
 Initially the above ground symptom of the disease appears sudden
withering of plants and leaves fall off from the bottom of the branches
and progressing upwards.

24. Symptoms
 The below ground symptoms include decaying of root cortex or skin, turn
black due to fungal spores/ mycelium below the bark.
 The severely affected plants loose the hold in the soil and can be easily
uprooted.
 On severity, the entire root system gets decayed and plants die.
 Affected plants after pruning, either fail to sprout or plant sprouted bears
small and pale yellow leaves with rough surface.

25. Factors responsible for spreading of the disease
• The disease occurs in soils of high temperature (28 - 34ºC),
low moisture (below 40 %) and low organic matter.
• The disease spreads primarily through contaminated soil,
farm implements and irrigation.
• The secondary source of infestation is through diseased
saplings, irrigation and cultivation practices.
Control measures
• A target specific new formulation “Navinya” (herbal 80% &
chemicals 20%) is used for the control of root rot disease of
mulberry.

26. Method of application
• Prune off the dried shoots above 15-30 cm from ground.
• Make shallow ring around stump and apply the Navinya
solution made by adding 10g of Navinya in 1 liter of water
(i.e. 1 kg Navinya in 100 liter water; sufficient for 100 plants
@ 1 liter/plant).
• Pour the solution over the pruned stump to drench
completely. Cover with soil around the stump to prevent
exposure to sunlight.
• Treat the surrounding mulberry plants also to prevent
spreading of the disease.

27. Precautions to be taken
Do not irrigate the treated mulberry plants during the first 4-
5 days.
Remove the dead mulberry plants and burn and expose the
soil to sunlight.
Plant the new saplings after dipping their roots in 0.2 %
Navinya solution for 30 minutes before planting.
Maintain optimum organic content >0.5% in soils by
applying compost/ manure.
During summer months irrigate the garden to keep the soil
moisture around 50-60% to prevent the disease.

29. Deficiency symptoms of major nutrients
Nitrogen
• Terminal growth of the plant is arrested and plant growth is
stunted.
• Quick yellowing of the lower part of the leaf.
• Yellowing starts from the margin of the leaf which spreads
throughout the leaves and finally whole plant becomes yellow.
Corrective measures
• Soil application of 300kg N/ha in 5 split doses furrow system in
irrigated / semi irrigated and six split doses for pit system.

30. Phosphorus
• Plant growth is ceased.
• In young leaves chlorosis occurs throughout the leaf and
irregular lesions are formed below the margins.
• Severely affected leaves show scorching in the margin.
• Older leaves becomes yellow very fast and fall off pre
maturely.
Corrective measures
• 20kg/ha in two split doses.
• Foliar application of DAP (1%).

31. Potassium
 Terminal growth of the plant is ceased.
 Lower leaves become yellow and fall off pre maturely.
 Necrosis starts from margins, which spreads all around
the leaf and leaves become totally yellow.
Corrective measures
 120kg/ha in two split doses.
 Foliar : MOP (1%).

32. Calcium ( Ca )
• Plant growth is totally ceased and becomes weak and
lodged
• Leaf shape is distorted and young leaves become more
acute in shape.
• Necrosis starts in margin and tip of the leaves.
• Old leaves were severely affected and shows yellowing
with mosaic green patches.
• Leaves start falling in pre-mature stage.

33. Other deficiency symptoms
Zinc
 Stunted plant growth
 chlorosis of young leaves,
 bottom leaves with bleached spots or Whitish spots.
 Leaves colour becomes lemon yellow.
Copper
• Leaf tip becomes white narrow and twisted, stunted growth, dieback of
terminal bud, marginal chlorosis.
Iron
• Typical intervenal chlorosis,
• papery white leaves with necrotic spot.
• Lower leaves turn golden yellow with dusky look.

34. • Boron
 Resetting of terminal growth,
 death of terminal bud and
cracked stem,
 bleaching of mid rib and
vein.
• Molybdenum
• Undulating leaf surface
• necrotic spots along midrib,
• oozing of gum from mid rib.
• Manganese
• Thin foliage,
• dark green bands along the
midrib,
• light green stripe between dark
green veins, twigs with
dieback symptom leaf
tapering.
• Sulphur
• Oily spots on leaves,
• leaves turn yellow and fall off.

35. Corrective measures
• Foliar spray
• ZnSO4 5gm/l
• FeSO4 10 g/l
• Borax 2.5 g/l
• CuSO4 2.5 g/l
• Mn 2.5 g/l or Sodium molybdate on 20th and 40th day after
pruning.
Add wetting agent teepol @ 0.5 ml/l for better adherence on
the foliage.