About the Book

Spices, considered as ‘India’s charismatic signature” are endowed with qualities to impart flavour, aroma and taste to diverse forms of cuisines. The spice-cultivating regions of India are bestowed with favourable weather conditions which support large-scale cultivation of a broad spectrum of spices. However, unprecedented shifts in weather pattern influence the existing synchronicity between the host and the pathogen, leading to disease outbreaks and epiphytotics. The diseases incited by a myriad of pathogens including oomycetes, fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes are considered as the major stumbling blocks adversely affecting production as well as productivity in spices. It is highly imperative to consolidate and document the information in order to provide a complete and up-to-date account of various diseases incited by these pathogens. The compendium on “Spice Diseases” provides comprehensive information on various aspects such as geographical origin, distribution, crop loss, symptomatology, key characteristics of the causal organism, disease cycle, epidemiology and management strategies pertaining to various diseases affecting the major vegetatively propagated spices including black pepper, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, vanilla as well as nutmeg. The information compiled in the compendium would be highly useful to farmers, crop consultants, extension agents, researchers, students and teachers.

Contents

1. Black pepper	Foot rot	1-3
	Slow decline	4-6
	Stunt disease	7-9
	Anthracnose/Fungal pollu	10-11
2. Cardamom	Azhukal/Capsule rot	12-13
	Rhizome rot	14-15
	Leaf blight/Chenthal	16-17
	Katte/Mosaic	18-19
	Chlorotic streak	20
	Kokke kandu/Cardamom vein clearing disease	21-22
	Root knot nematode	23-21
3. Ginger	Soft rot	25-27
	Bacterial wilt	28-29
	Fusarium yellows	30-31
	Phyllosticta leaf spot	32-33
	Colletotrichum leaf spot	34-35
	Exserohilum leaf blight	36
	Ginger chlorotic fleck	37
	Root knot nematode	38
4. Turmeric	Rhizome rot	40-41
	Leaf blotch	42-43
	Leaf spot	44-45
	Root knot nematode	46-47
	Lesion nematode	48-49
5. Vanilla	Root and stem rot	50-51
	Anthracnose	52-53
	Bean rot	54-55
	Collar and bean rot	56
	Virus diseases	57-58
6. Nutmeg	Leaf fall and fruit rot	59-60
	Thread blight	61-62
	Index	63-64