Cultural and Morphological Variability in isolates of red rot pathogen (Colletotrichum falcatum) from Pilibhit District of Uttar Pradesh

Sugarcane is an important cash crop and used as the chief source of sugar grown in tropical and subtropical regions in India. Sugarcane production is challenged by various biotic and abiotic stresses; among the biotic factors, red rot disease caused by Colletotrichum falcatum is a major disease leading to severe reduction in sugarcane production. Five isolates of C. falcatum were established from red rot infected cane varieties collected from different areas of Uttar Pradesh. Cultural and morphological studies of the isolates were conducted in vitro on oat meal agar (OMA).Variations in their conidial and colony characters of the five isolates were recorded and summerized in this paper.

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.), belonging to the family Poaceae, is an economically important crop grown in the tropical and sub- tropical regions of India. Red rot caused by the fungus Colletotrichum falcatum Went, is considered one of the major constraints in the profitable cultivation of sugarcane in India (Viswanathan and Samiyappan, 2008). The first documented epidemic of red rot in India, occurred in 1895-1901 and in subsequent years a number of major outbreaks were recorded (Satyavir, 2003). This disease causes losses in form of poor germination which ultimately translates in lower non millable canes (NMC) and cane yield, lower sugar recovery, poor juice quality. The use of resistant varieties is the most important method for management of this disease. However, the emergence of new virulent strains of C. falcatum results in frequent breakdown of resistance necessitating the continuous replacement of older varieties with new ones.

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