Diseases Management in Brinjal Cultivation
Diseases of Brinjal:
1) Damping Off:
It is a serious disease of brinjal seedlings and mainly occurs in nursery bed. The disease infected seedlings rot at ground level and then the plants fall over ground. The seedlings die in patches.
Control Measures:
1. The seed bed should be treated with Formalin before sowing of seeds.
2. The seeds should be treated without water (30 minutes al 520 C) or Cerasan or Agrosan G.N. before sowing of seed.
3. The seedlings in the nursery should be sprayed with any fungicides at an regular interval.
2) Phomopsis Blight and Fruit Rot:
It is a serious disease of brinjal. The fungus attacks all parts of the plants above ground. Dark brown lessions appear on the stem and round to oval spots are formed on the leaves. Disease fruits show short and watery lessions which litte on become black and mummified.
Control Measures:
i. Use of disease free seeds, seeds treatment with some fungicide and long crop rotation are the most common remedial measures of this disease.
ii. Disease resistant variety (Such as Pusa Bhairab, Pusa Cluster etc.) should be
Cultivated,
iii. The disease can effectively be controlled by weekly spraying of nursery and field with Zineb (Dithane-Z-78) or Mancozeb (Dithane M-45) @ 2.5 gm per litter of water.
3) Little Leaf of Brinjal:
The affected plant produces numerous tinny Yellow I leaves and does not bear fruits. The disease is transmitted by leaf hopper.
Control Measures:
i. The disease affected plants should be destroyed,
ii. The insect vector should be controlled by spraying the crop with Dimethoate
(Rogor-30 EC or Oxydemiton methyl (Metasystox-25 EG) or Monocrotophos (Monocil )@ 1 ml per litre of water to check the spread of this disease,
iii. Disease resistant variety such as Pusa purple Cluster should be cultivated