Vol. 10, Issue 3 (2021)

Author(s):
Santosh Kumar and HK Singh

Abstract:
Beal (Aegle marmelos L. Correa) is native across the Indian subcontinent and is found wild throughout the Indian Peninsula. Cultivation of bael is a lucrative venture because of its high pharmaceutical importance. The deciduous tree with trifoliate aromatic leaves offering of bael leaves is a compulsory ritual of the worship of lord Shiva. The importance of bael lies in its curative properties, make the tree one of the most useful medicinal plant of India. Bael plants suffer from a number of fungal foliar bacterial diseases namely root rot, collar rot, wilt, Alternaria leaf spot, bacterial shot hole, fruit canker, sooty mould and gummosis. In bael nursery/plant, disease appeared during post rainy season, disease symptoms recorded first during rainy season (July- August). Initial symptom were recorded on leaves as small, circular in shape which are brown in colour but later on these spots enlarges and cover the more area up to 40 mm in diameter and later become dark brown with grayish centre. Chlorosis around the lesions may be seen and concentric rings are produced on the middle of the spot on the leaves. Characteristic symptoms of this disease are formation of shot hole due to shedding of necrotic tissues of the leaves. In severe condition number and size of lesions increases, black sporodochia with white and marginal mycelia tuffs bearing black in colour spores masses were observed in the older lesions. This type of symptoms incited by Myrothecium roridum was identified as a causal organism. The pathogenicity test of the fungus was established. Fungus produces creamy white colonies on PDA which are 1.5 cm diameter after 5 days at 25+2 ⁰C. Concentric pattern of sporodochia of Myrothecium roridum which are black in colour formed on PDA after 32 days of inoculation. Conidia were aseptate, hyaline, rod shaped and rounded to both ends.