11 Jan Diseases of mango blossoms and their management
आम के बौर (फूल) के रोग और उनका प्रबंधन Mango production is seriously hampered by many diseases particularly in recent days. About 140 disease-causing pathogens are known to inflict damage to mango crop at various stages of its production. Among them, diseases on inflorescences or blossoms, if unchecked, take heavy toll on yield of mango. Powdery mildew and blossom blight or anthracnose are the most notorious diseases infecting mango in India at the time of flowering and fruit set. Powdery mildew of Mango blossoms Powdery mildew affecting mango inflorescence is characterised by greyish white or whitish colour talc like haze and it may cover the inflorescence partially or entirely, leading to reduced fruit set or complete failure of the crop. It affects the young developing fruits also. This disease is caused by a fungus named as Pseudoidium anacardii. In different developmental stages of panicle/ inflorescence, no infection occurs up to protected stage (elongated inflorescence still protected by bracts), even when the disease level reached the peak on other inflorescence in the field. When the axes of the inflorescence changes from green colour to red colour, the inflorescence become slowly susceptible to powdery mildew i.e., from the protected stage susceptibility increases and the full bloom stage is the most susceptible stage. Powdery mildew symptoms were diagnosed in...