Progress in understanding fungal diseases affecting sugarcane: red rot

Publication date: 05/03/2018
Extent: 20 pages

Contributions by: R. Viswanathan, A. Ramesh Sundar, R. Selvakumar and P. Malathi, ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, India

Chapter synopsis: Red rot is a disease of sugarcane stalks caused by the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum falcatum. It has been recorded in 77 countries worldwide, but occurs most severely in South Asian countries, especially India, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as in Thailand and Vietnam. Developing red rot-resistant varieties has been the major management strategy to deal with the disease in most countries. This chapter reviews the economic impact of red rot, diagnosis, pathogen variability, application of molecular tools to understand pathogen biology, varietal resistance, screening methods and new management approaches including fungicide delivery.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2017.0035.21