Abstract

                                Chillies are cultivated in almost every district of this State over an extent of 1,25,180 acres and this forms one of the important money crops to the ryots. This crop is affected by a number of fungal diseases, among which the fruit rot and die-back caused by Colletotrichum capsici and the fruit rot caused by Alternaria solani were considered to be the most important ones. However in recent years a wilt disease caused by Sclerotium rolfsii is gaining importance in this State, especially in Udumalpet and Pollachi taluks. The disease appears all of a sudden under favourable conditions and spreads very rapidly.

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