Management of black rot of cabbage and cauliflower by seed treatment, root dipping and foliar spray of antibiotics and biocontrol agents

Abstract

Cabbage and cauliflower are important cole crops grown in India, accounting for about ten percent of the total vegetable production of the country (Anon, 2011). Black rot caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv campestris (Pammel) Dowson is one of the causes which limit the commercial production of the crops. The bacteria can attack the crops at both seedling and planting stages and the infection results from infected seeds. Due to the diseases, there is an extensive loss in the field and quality of curds and yield as well as vigour of the seed crop (Kashyap and Dhiman, 2009). Under severe attack of this disease, substantial reduction in the yield to the tune of 5 to 70% has been reported (Sharma and Ramchandra, 1991). Management of the disease is restricted to use of resistant cultivars, hot water treatment of seeds followed by application of antibiotics or protectant fungicides (Hilderbrand, 1994), but the control has been only partial. Keeping this at the backdrop an effort was directed to use seed treatment, root dipping, antibiotics and spray of bactericides and biocontrol agents in combination as well as in solo for the management of the menace, under field conditions