Present Status of Fungal Diseases, Crop Loss and Crop Protection of Mulberry Plants

Abstract

Cultivation of mulberry (Morus sp) and rearing of silkworm (Bombyx mori) are the basis of sericulture industry as the major source of nutrition for silkworm depends on leaves of mulberry plants. Mulberry is affected by various pests like fungi, bacteria, virus and nematodes. Among the fungal diseases, leaf spot disease caused by Cercospora moricola, powdery mildew by Phyllactinea corylea, leaf black rust by Cerotelium fici, red rust by Aecidium mori, twig blight by Fusarium pallidoroseum, root rot by Resellinia necatrix and Helicobasidiwum mompa, stem canker and die back by Botryodiplodia theobromae, stem rot by Polyporus hispidus and Ganoderma applanatum, collar rot by Phoma mororum, stem blight by Phoma exigua and bud blight by Fusarium lateritium are well known from different parts of the world. Among these diseases, Cercospora moricola, Phyllactinea corylea, Cerotelium fici, Aecidium mori, Botryodiplodia theobromae and Fusarium pallidoroseum are most dominant fungal pathogens which induce 50%-60% mortality of mulberry saplings. The diseases, in addition to the reduction in leaf yield, affect the quality of the leaf with poor nutritive values according to recent biochemical studies. Feeding such leaves impairs the cocoon yield and quality of the silk. To control these various diseases synthetic chemicals are more frequently applied for instant result rather than eco friendly implementation of biological methods. This review article aims at current status of different fungal diseases of mulberry plants, crop loss in terms of yield and biochemical parameters and, different chemical and biological control measures adopted to encounter this problem encompassing around the sericulture industry.