| Rust | Puccinia carthami |
| Leaf spot | Cercospora carthami |
| Leaf blight | Alternaria carthami |
1. RUST- Puccinia carthami
Symptoms
The pustules (uredosori) are chestnut brown in colour and scattered throughout the leaves. Later, black teliosori are formed on the leaves. Stem girdling occurs in older plants and rust pustules also appear on roots. Uredia and telia are produced on safflower plants.
Mode of spread
Spreads through wind borne uredospores
Survival
The pathogen is an autoceious rust and survives in the infected plant debris
Epidemiology
Cloudy weather favour the disease
Management
- Remove and destroy the plant debris in soil
- Crop rotation with non-host plant
- Spray mancozeb @ 1 kg/ha
- Grow resistant varieties like APPR 1, 3, PCM 1, 2, and PCN 1
2. LEAF SPOT- Cercospora carthami
Symptoms
Round, brown spots appear on the lower leaves with sunken centre and irregular yellow border. The affected tissues disintegrate and holes are formed between the veins
Mode of spread
The pathogen spreads through air borne conidia
Survival
Survives as externally seed borne inoculum
Epidemiology
High humidity encourage the disease
Management
- Remove and destroy the plant debris in soil
- Seed treatment with thiram or captan at 4 g/kg of seed
- Spray mancozeb @ 1 kg/ha
3. LEAF BLIGHT-Alternaria carthami
Symptoms
Minute brown to dark brown spots with concentric rings appear initially, expand gradually causing irregular lesions. The centre of the spot is light brown with a dark brown margin
Mode of spread and survival
The pathogen spreads through air borne conidia and survives as externally seed borne inoculum
Epidemiology
High humidity favour the disease
Management
- Seed treatment with thiram or captan at 4 g/kg of seed
- Spray mancozeb @ 1 kg/ha
- Grow disease tolerance varieties like NS 133, 1015, 1016, 1021, and EC 32102.
