Abstract

Groundnut which is one of the most important oilseed crops is susceptible to some of the most serious diseases like 'tikka'-Cercospora personata (Berk. & Curt.) Ell, & Eve., Cercospora arachidicola Hori, and Root rot-Rhizoctonia bataticola (Taub.) Butl. The low yield of pods in India is to a great extent attributed to some of these diseases as well as pests. Reduction in yield from 20 to 50% due to severe cases of tikka alone has been reported from Uttar Pradesh by Mehta et al. (1954). Similarly Sulaiman (1965) has recorded a loss in yield upto 40% in the Maharashtra State. Reduction in yield is largely due to the damage caused to the leaves as a result of intense spotting and the consequent loss in photo-synthetic tissue; 35% of the leaf area has been reported to be lost in parts of North America (Wolf, 1916). Spots on the pegs also tend to decrease yield by restricting translocation of food to the seeds (Reys et al., 1940). Premature leaf fall, which is invariably associated with tikka incidence, is also a factor contributing to the low yield of groundnut.

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