Abstract

Discases of crops have been prevalent from ancient times. But the nature of the agents responsible for the causation of these diseases and the uses of chemicals for controlling them began to be understood only after the middle of the last century. The practice of certain vine growers whose vine yards were on the roadside, of sprinkling a mixture of lime and blue vitriol on the leaves and bunches to keep off thieves led to the discovery of one of the most widely-used and potent fungicides-Bordeaux mixture. To the French Professor, Millardet, is attributed the credit of observations on the effect of this practice on the control of the downy mildew which was causing heavy damage to vines and the formulation of Bordeaux mixture, about the year 1882.

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