This document discusses 5 diseases that affect sugarcane: 1. Grassy shoot, caused by phytoplasma, causes tillers to be small, yellowish-white and grass-like. Management includes removing infected parts and treating healthy stock. 2. Sugarcane smut, caused by Ustilago scitaminea, appears as black whip-like structures emerging from the growing point. Management focuses on removing infected shoots and using resistant varieties. 3. Red rot, caused by Colletotrichum falcatum, causes reddening of the stalk internals and poor crop stands. Management involves removing infected shoots, treating stock, and rotating crops.

1. AIM: To study about the diseases of sugarcane
1. GRASSY SHOOT:
• CAUSALAGENT : CAUSED BY PHYTOPLASMA
• These organisms infest the phloem tissues inthe sugarcane vascular bundles.
• SYMPTOMS:
1. Infected plant produces larger number of thin leaved
2.Tillers like grass so known as grassy shoot.
3.The tillers are small and yellowish white in colour.

3. MANAGEMENT
• Eradication of diseased parts as soon as symptoms are seen.
• Avoid selection of setts from diseased area.
• Pre-treating the healthy setts with hot water at 52°c for 1 hour before
planting
• Treating them with hot air at 54°C for 8 hours. •
• Spraying the crop twice a month with insecticides

4. 2.Sugarcane smut disease:
“Also called whip smut.”
Casual Organism
Ustilago scitaminea
Symptoms
1. Two to four months after the fungus has infected the plant, black whip-like
structures, instead of a spindle leaf, emerge from the meristem, or growing point, of
the plant.
2. The developing whip is a mixture of plant tissue and fungal tissue. 3.Plants
infected with the fungus usually appear to have thin stalks and are often
stunted.
4. They end up tillering much more than normal and this results in leaves that are
more slender and much weaker.

6. MANAGEMENT
1. Rogue out diseased shoots.
2. Select healthy planting material.
3. Treat planting stock with a protectant fungicide.
4. Avoid ratooning of affected cane fields.
5. Rotate sugarcane with a resistant crop.
6. Plant resistant varieties.

7. 3.RED ROT OF SUGARCANE
• CAUSALAGENT: Colletotrichum falcatum
• SYMPTOMS:
• Longitudinal reddening of the normally white internal
tissue of the internodes
• A discoloration, that may extend through many joints of
the stalk, poor stands of both plant and ratoon crops.
• Induces inversion of sucrose in matureCanes.

9. MANAGEMENT
1. Rogue out diseased shoots or stools.
2. Select healthy planting material.
3. Treat planting stock with a protectant fungicide.
4. Rotate sugarcane with a resistant crop.
5. Plant resistant varieties.

10. 4. SETT ROT OR PINEAPPLE DISEASE
• CAUSALAGENT: Ceratocystis paradoxa
• SYMPTOMS
• The disease primarily affects the setts usually two to three weeks after planting.
• The fungus is soil-borne and enters through cut ends and proliferates rapidly in the
parenchymatous tissues.
• A characteristic pineapple smell is associated with the rotting tissues.
• The affected tissues first develop a reddish colour which turns to brownish black in the later
stages

12. MANAGEMENT
• Soak the setts in 0.05% carbendazim 15 minutes.
• Use long setts having 3 or 4 buds.
• Provide adequate drainage during rainy seasons.
• Use resistant varieties.

13. 5. SUGARCANE MOSAIC
• CAUSALAGENT: Sugarcane mosaic potyvirus
• SYMPTOMS:
• The disease appears more prominently on the basal portion of the younger foliage as chlorotic or
yellowish stripes alternate with normal green portion of the leaf.
• As infection becomes severe, yellow stripes appear on the leaf sheath and stalks.

15. MANAGEMENT
• Roguing of infected plants and use of disease free planting material.
• Chemical sprays to manage the insect vector population in early crop
stage. •
• Grow mosaic-resistant or, at least, tolerant varieties. •
• Breeding mosaic-resistant varieties is needed eg.Saccharum
spontaneum L.