Sugarcane yield and quality are greatly reduced by Sett Rot disease, a fungal disease. A soil-borne fungus that survives as conidia and chlamydospores in cane tissues cause the disease. Wind-borne conidia, irrigation, rainfall, and insects like cane borer (Diatraea dyari) spread it. This blog will cover Sett Rot Disease symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment choices, including chemical, biological, natural, and organic methods. Farmers may manage Sett Rot Disease and save their sugarcane crops properly.
Sett Rot Management in Sugarcane
The causal organisms of Sett Rot Disease
- The fungus Ceratocytis paradoxa causal organism of Sett Rot Disease, generates both macroconidia and microconidia.
- Conidiophores are thin-walled and linear, with short cells at the base and a lengthy terminal cell.
- The microconidia are thin-walled, cylindrical, and endogenously made in chains in the long cells of conidiophores before being pushed out in sequence.
- Macroconidia are hyaline to dark green or black in size and are spherical, elliptical, truncate, or pyriform.
- Chlamydospores, which are oval, thick-walled, and brown in appearance, are also produced by the fungus.
- The perithecia are flask-shaped with a long neck and are embellished with irregularly shaped, knobbed limbs.
- Asci are clavate and 25x10m, while ascospores are single-celled, hyaline, ellipsoid, more curved on one side, and 7-10 x 2.5-4m in size.
The Disease cycle of Sett rot Disease
- The fungus responsible for Sett Rot Disease produces spores (called conidia) and sporogonia (called chlamydospores) that can live on the earth and infect cane tissues.
- The conidia that cause the disease travel from one area to another on the wind or water from irrigation or rainfall.
- Cane borer (Diatraea yari) insects also play a role in the disease’s spreading.
- Coconut, cocoa, mango, papaya, coffee, maize, and areca nut are just some products the pathogen can use.
- Sett rot is caused by a fungus quickly spreading through the parenchymatous tissues inside the sett.
Causes/conditions favorable for Sett Rot Disease in the field
Sett Rot Disease grows in fields with heavy clay soils, poor drainage, and temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. Long-lasting rain after planting also creates the ideal environment for spreading the disease. Farmers need to be aware of these problems and do what they must to deal with or stop Sett Rot Disease in their sugarcane crops. Sugarcane set rot spreads rapidly during the rainy season, drying out the crop and leaving no usable cane. Air, rain splash and soil are intermediary infection routes.
Symptoms of Sett Rot Disease
- Sett Rot Disease can make infected shoots perish after growing to a height of 6 to 12 inches or cause setts to rot before germination.
- Infected setts lose their crimson hue and turn black, with numerous black fungal spores clinging to them.
- Stunted, chlorotic, and potentially wilting stems are signs of infection.
- The afflicted shoots’ centers develop a reddish discoloration, and the sett’s contents rot.
- Affected setts release a rotten sugarcane smell when cut open.